Part XXII - Short Title, Commencement, Authoritative Text in Hindi and Repeals • Article

Article 395 Simplified: Repeals

Article 395 is the final clause of the Constitution. It officially repealed (canceled) the British-era laws that previously governed India: the Indian Independence Act, 1947, and the Government of India Act, 1935. By repealing these colonial laws, India severed its constitutional ties with the British Crown and became a fully independent, sovereign Republic.

Official Text

The Indian Independence Act, 1947, and the Government of India Act, 1935, together with all enactments amending or supplementing the latter Act, but not including the Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949, are hereby repealed.

Simple Meaning

Explain Like Ten

This is the very last rule of the Constitution. It canceled all the old British laws that used to rule over India (like the Indian Independence Act of 1947). By doing this, India officially ended its legal ties with the British Crown and became its own boss.

Student Mode

Article 395 is the 'Repeals' clause. It officially repealed the Indian Independence Act, 1947, and the Government of India Act, 1935, along with all amending and supplementing acts. Crucially, it did not repeal the Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949, preserving the domestic jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India. This act formally ended India's status as a British Dominion and established it as a fully sovereign Republic.

Example

On January 26, 1950, when the Constitution began, the old British laws ceased to govern India because Article 395 repealed them. India was no longer a British dominion, but a sovereign independent republic governed solely by its own Constitution.

Key Takeaway

Officially repealed the colonial Government of India Act 1935 and Indian Independence Act 1947, establishing India as a fully sovereign Republic.

FAQs

What was the Government of India Act, 1935?

It was the massive colonial act passed by the British Parliament that provided the constitutional framework for governing India from 1937 until the Constitution began in 1950. Much of the administrative structure of the modern Indian Constitution is adapted from it.

Why was the Indian Independence Act, 1947, repealed?

The 1947 Act established India as a British Dominion under the British Crown. To become a fully independent Republic with its own autochthonous (self-grown) Constitution, India had to repeal the 1947 Act, formally ending the British Crown's legal sovereignty over India.

Quiz

Which major British act governing the partition and dominion status of India was repealed by Article 395?

Answer: The Indian Independence Act, 1947

Which pre-independence act was NOT repealed by Article 395, preserving Supreme Court jurisdiction?

Answer: The Abolition of Privy Council Jurisdiction Act, 1949