As India celebrates 26 November 2016 as Constitution Day, this year is officially the second Constitution Day in Indian history. In 2015, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government at the centre declared 26 November as Constitution Day by a 19 November gazette notification. The day was earlier commemorated as National Law Day, after a resolution by the Supreme Court Bar Association, a lawyers’ body, in 1979.

• Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949, and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India and B. R. Ambedkar is regarded as its chief architect. India celebrates its coming into force on 26 January each year, as Republic Day. It declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity among them.
• It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by elected members of the provincial assemblies. The 389 member Constituent Assembly took almost three years (two years, eleven months and eighteen days to be precise) to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for independent India during which, it held eleven sessions over 165 days. Of these, 114 days were spent on the consideration of the draft Constitution.
• The Indian Constitution drafters borrowed concepts and ideas from the Constitutions of UK, US, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan.
• The Indian constitution is the world’s longest. At its commencement, it had 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules. It is made up of almost 80,000 words. In its current form (September 2012), it has a preamble, 25 parts with 448 articles, 12 schedules, 5 appendices and 100 amendments, the latest of which came into force on 1 August 2015.
• Constitution Day is not a public holiday. Various departments of the Government of India celebrates the first Constitution day. As per the Department of Education and Literacy, the preamble of the constitution is read in all schools by all students. In addition, there are quiz and essay competitions on the subject of the constitution of India.