Article 1 Explained: India, That is Bharat – Name and Territory of the Union | Constitution Series [Part 1]
Article 1 – Name and territory of the Union
- India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
- The States and the territories thereof shall be as specified in the First Schedule.
The territory of India shall comprise –
(a) the territories of the States;
(b) the Union territories specified in the First Schedule; and
(c) such other territories as may be acquired.
Explanation of Article 1
Clause 1: India, that is Bharat
‘India, that is Bharat’ shall remain a Union of States. In other words, for the entire world, the name of the country is India, and India is also Bharat — or we can say that constitutionally, both names “India” and “Bharat” are recognized for the country.
It shall remain a Union of States — these states cannot separate from the country. This group of states has not been created like a federal agreement (as in the USA); rather, all the states together make up India. States have no right to separate from the Union.
Clause 2: States and Territories
The First Schedule of the Indian Constitution is connected in some way to Articles 1 and 4. This schedule is divided into two parts:
- Part 1 contains the names of all the States.
- Part 2 contains the names of all the Union Territories.
Clause 3: The territory of India shall comprise
A. India includes all the states, or we can say all the states of the country belong to India.
B. All the Union Territories that are given in the First Schedule.
C. All the territories that India has acquired or may acquire in the future — whether through war, agreement, or treaty — will be considered an integral part of India.
Importance of Article 1
- Article 1 clears the confusion regarding the many names of India and states clearly: India, that is Bharat.
- The country is a Union of States, and no state can separate from it. This strengthens the Constitution and keeps the country away from systems where any state can say, "We no longer want to stay with the country," and leave.
- The division between States and Union Territories is based on their characteristics. Also, Clause 3(c) of Article 1 makes it clear that if the country acquires any new territory in the future, it will be considered a part of India.
- In conclusion, Article 1 gives a structural definition to the country — that this nation is made up of a group of small and large states.
“Article 2 of the Indian Constitution: Admission and Establishment of New Stats”
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