ConstitutionParts of the Constitution of India
The Constitution is divided into parts, each dealing with one subject. Tap a subject to read its plain-language explanation.
| Part | Subject | Articles | In short |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | The Union and its territory | 1 to 4 | Name of the country, its territory, and the making of new states. |
| II | Citizenship | 5 to 11 | Who was a citizen in 1950; Parliament makes the rules after that. |
| III | Fundamental Rights | 12 to 35 | Six groups of rights enforceable in court. |
| IV | Directive Principles of State Policy | 36 to 51 | Goals for governments in building a welfare state. |
| IVA | Fundamental Duties | 51A | Eleven duties of citizens. |
| V | The Union | 52 to 151 | President, Vice-President, Council of Ministers, Parliament, Supreme Court, CAG. |
| VI | The States | 152 to 237 | Governor, Chief Minister, state legislature, High Courts, subordinate courts. |
| VII | (Repealed) | 238 | Dealt with Part B states; removed by the 7th Amendment, 1956. |
| VIII | The Union Territories | 239 to 242 | Administration of union territories; Delhi and Puducherry. |
| IX | The Panchayats | 243 to 243O | Three-tier rural local government (73rd Amendment). |
| IXA | The Municipalities | 243P to 243ZG | Urban local government (74th Amendment). |
| IXB | The Co-operative Societies | 243ZH to 243ZT | Rules for co-operative societies (97th Amendment). |
| X | The Scheduled and Tribal Areas | 244 to 244A | Administration of scheduled and tribal areas. |
| XI | Relations between the Union and the States | 245 to 263 | Division of law-making and administrative powers. |
| XII | Finance, Property, Contracts and Suits | 264 to 300A | Taxes, funds, Finance Commission, GST Council, right to property. |
| XIII | Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within India | 301 to 307 | Freedom of trade across the country. |
| XIV | Services under the Union and the States | 308 to 323 | Civil services and Public Service Commissions. |
| XIVA | Tribunals | 323A to 323B | Administrative and other tribunals. |
| XV | Elections | 324 to 329A | Election Commission, adult suffrage, electoral rolls. |
| XVI | Special Provisions relating to Certain Classes | 330 to 342A | Reserved seats and national commissions. |
| XVII | Official Language | 343 to 351 | Language of the Union, the states and the courts. |
| XVIII | Emergency Provisions | 352 to 360 | National emergency, President's rule, financial emergency. |
| XIX | Miscellaneous | 361 to 367 | Protection of the President and Governors; definitions. |
| XX | Amendment of the Constitution | 368 | Power and procedure to amend. |
| XXI | Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions | 369 to 392 | Special provisions for certain states. |
| XXII | Short Title, Commencement, Authoritative Text in Hindi and Repeals | 393 to 395 | Name of the Constitution, commencement and repeals. |
How many parts are there?
The original Constitution of 1950 had 22 parts, numbered I to XXII. Since then, Part VII has been repealed (1956) and four parts have been added with a letter after the number: IVA (Fundamental Duties, 1976), XIVA (Tribunals, 1976), IXA (Municipalities, 1992) and IXB (Co-operative Societies, 2011). Part IX itself was replaced in 1992 with the present part on panchayats. Counting the lettered parts and leaving out the repealed one, there are 25 parts in force today.
How articles are numbered
The original Constitution had 395 articles. New articles are not given new numbers at the end. They are inserted where they belong, with a capital letter: Article 21A comes after Article 21, and Articles 243A to 243ZT fill Parts IX, IXA and IXB. Repealed articles leave a gap. So the last article is still Article 395, although the total number of articles in force is now well above 395.
A way to remember the order
The Constitution moves from the country to the citizen to the government: first the territory (I) and its citizens (II), then their rights (III), the goals of the State (IV) and their duties (IVA); then the Union (V), the states (VI), union territories (VIII) and local bodies (IX, IXA); then how the two levels share power and money (XI, XII); then services (XIV), elections (XV), special provisions (XVI), language (XVII), emergencies (XVIII) and amendment (XX).
This page explains the Constitution in simple words for students and general readers. It is not the official text and is not legal advice. The official text is published by the Legislative Department, Government of India (legislative.gov.in). Last checked: 11 November 2026.