1. COMPARATIVE PUBLIC LAW
Lesson VIII
India
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

2. The Indian sub-continent
Lion of Sarnath
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Diritto Pubblico comparato – Lezione VIII

3. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Some data
Population: Inhab.
Territory: Km2
Density: 349 Inhab./Km2
Official Languages: Hindi (spoken by 40% of the population), english (politics and economy) further 21 languages
1576 languages and dialects (1991)
Religions: 6 big religions: induism (81,4%), buddism, jainism, islam (12,4%), christianism (2,12%), sikh
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

4. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Territory
28 Federal States
Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh
Assam Bihar
Chhattisgarh Goa
Gujarat Haryana
Himachal Pradesh Jammu e Kashmir
Jharkhand Karnataka
Kerala Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra Manipur
Meghalaya Mizoram
Nagaland Orissa
Panjab Rajasthan
Sikkim Tamil Nadu
Tripura Uttar Pradesh
Uttaranchal Bengala Occidentale
6 Territories
A. Andamane e Nicobare B. Chandigarh C. Dadra e Nagar Haveli D. Daman e Diu E. Laccadive G. Pondicherry
Capital Territory
F. Dehli
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

5. Constitutional History
British dominion since1600
Government of India Act 1919:
Decentralization
Two-chambers Parliament
Executive under British control
Government of India Act 1935:
Federation of Provinces and independant principates
«Dualistic» central Government: Governor general named by GB and Council of Ministers (supported by national Parliament)
Elective two-chambers Parliament: Federal Assembly + Council of State
India Indipendence Act 1947:
Indipendence of Federal Republic of India and Pakistan
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

6. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Constitution
Approved in 1949
Introduction: India “a sovereign and democratic” and “laicistic and socialist” (since 1976) Republic
Joining the federation: free and unilateral process (under pressures of central Government)
Republican structure and democratic method: “basic features of the Constitution” (Supreme Court), not possibile to be changed
Since 1976: Social legal State (rule of law)
«Material» federal State: «open» federalism, powers to the member States in peaceful times, enforcement of the Center during crisis
Difficult conservation of unity in such a different and various context: strong role of central Government, open to autonomy claims of members States
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

7. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Government
Inspiration: Westminster model
President of the Union: Head of the Executive (Art. 52)
Political guidelines decided by the relationship Parliament-Government
Government expressed by the Chamber of the People (lower Chamber)
Elected with Majority system (First-past-the-post)
Two-levels party system :
Federal level: national parties
Regional level: regional or local parties
Coalition cabinets (since 1990s)
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

8. Government Chamber of the States (Rajya Sabha) Chamber of the People
Center: asimmetric two-chambers Pariament
Chamber of the People
(Lok Sabha)
Center of the form of government (Confidence to the Executive)
Representing the indian people
In charge for 5 years
Max. 552 members
Actually: 545 (530 elected in States, 13 in Territories, 2 named by Pres. of the Union)
Prevailing «Money Bills»
Chamber of the States
(Rajya Sabha)
Representing the States
Paritarian legislative procedure
Max. 520 members
Elected by State Parliaments
Renewed 1/3 every 2 years
Office: 6 years
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

9. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
President of the Union
Formal Head of Executive in ordinary times
Special powers in institutional crisis and emergencies
Indirectly elected: Constituence proportionally reflecting parties in Parliament and member States
Election:
Members of both Chambers
Members of State Parliaments
Constitutional duty: warranting uniform representation of single States (higher specific wheight of less populated States, with less «Big Electors»)
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

10. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Executive
Premier named by President of the Union
Ministers expressed by Premier
«Cabinet»: not named in the Constitution
Prime Minister: leader of the winning party or minor party in coalition governments with better chances to rule the coalition
Prime Minister: choosing the government team
Consociative parliamentarism (now) and majoritarian (first 40 years)
Cabinet: complex organ expressing political guidelines
20 members, frequent meetings
Council of Ministers: Cabinet + States Ministers + Deputy Ministers = 70 members, rarely meeting
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11. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Federal Structure
Cooperative and dynamic federalism: First step, enforcing Center, further establishment of member States
Member States influencing national politics on two levels:
Through Chamber of States
Through regional parties, crucial for national majorities in Chamebr of People
Institutional structure in member States: recalling the Federation. Governor named by the Center, with similar functions as the President of the Union
Special autonomy for Jammu and Kashmir (islamic majority)
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

12. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Federal Structure II
Competences: three lists
Exclusive competence of the Union
Concurring competence
Exclusive competence of member States
«Centripet» federalism: residual clause for Federation
Requested cooperation, more than separation, between the different levels
Administrative function to the States for legislative competence, and possible delegation from Federation
Possible substitution of the Federation to member States
Intervention of the Federation in legislative completences of member States in execution of international treaties (ex. Environment)
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

13. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Federal Structure III
Warranties of federalism by Supreme Court
President’s Rule: power of the President to recall a State government and embody of its powers in case of non functioning state constitutional organs
Three decentralization levels in the States:
District (regions)
Intermediate level (only in most populated States)
Lower level: village panchayats, rural bodies, and municipalities, urban bodies
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

14. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Diritto Pubblico comparato – Lezione VIII
Legal Sources
Longest Constitution of the world: 395 articles
«Unifiyng» function of the Constitution
Legal order founded on common law (customs and jurisprudence), with a extremely detailed text (civil law tradition)
Mixed system
Complex revision procedure of the Constitution :
3 different procedures, according the relevance of the provisions to change
Lower sources:
Federal laws: ordinary laws and «money bills»
Urgent presiential orders
Delegated legislation
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Diritto Pubblico comparato – Lezione VIII

15. Constitutional Justice
Wider acess to constitutional Justice: consequence of common law tradition
Structure
Member States
Ruled by Federal Constitution:
Supreme Court
High Courts
Lower courts
Ruled by state legislation:
d) First level courts
Union
Supreme Court
High Court, 21 members
High number of judges
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

16. Constitutional Justice II
Top: Supreme Court
Last level of ordinary Justice and b) Judicial review
Recent activity of state courts
Double function:
Warranting legal relationship between institutions
Warranting fundamental rights
- Wide Bill of Rights
- Action against violations mde by laws, orders and adm. Procedures
Consulting function for the President of the Union
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII

17. LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII
Fundamental rights
Goal: social, political and economic Justice
Bill of Rights:
Wide list (excluded Property)
Further constitutional provisions (principles and «fundamental duties»)
Defending multietnicity and multicultural dimension
«Positive actions»
Weak categories:
Tribal communities (50 mil.)
Disadvantaged Casts (150 mil.)
Disadvantaged classes (difficult quantification)
LUISS G. Carli - De Petris – Comparative Public Law – Lesson VIII