5 Lesser-Known Aspects Of The Constitution

Given the length of the Constitution, which was adopted with 395 articles, 22 parts and 8 schedules, there are bound to be some aspects that may not be as well known as the ones that stand out. Of course, that does not take away from the importance of such provisions on both governance as well as freedoms. Some areas of the Constitution that may have escaped attention are:

PART V

FREEDOM OF TRADE, COMMERCE WITHIN INDIA

Part XIII of the Constitution contemplates ‘economic unity’ among the states. The Constitution guarantees freedom of trade, commerce and intercourse and prohibits imposition of taxes by the states in regional interest. This guarantee came to be tested in 1961 with an Assam law that levied a tax on the quantity of goods transported through the state’s inland waterways and roads. Because the law did not account for the distance covered for transportation, the Supreme Court invalidated it when it interfered with the dispatch of tea from Assam to Calcutta. Currently, states can impose non-discriminatory entry tax to share the tax burden between importing and exporting states, but protectionist regional taxes remain prohibited.

THE EXECUTIVE’S LAWMAKING POWERS