Constitutional Law - Unit VII: Federalism & Emergency Provisions

Unit VII: Federalism & Emergency Provisions Distribution of powers: Union, State & Concurrent Lists. Centre–State relations (legislative, administrative, financial). Emergency provisions: National, State & Financial Emergency.

This class is designed for students who wish to explore the federal character of the Indian Constitution and its exceptional provisions. Students will study the distribution of powers between the Union and the States through the Union, State, and Concurrent Lists, and examine how Centre–State relations operate in legislative, administrative, and financial contexts. A significant portion of the class will deal with Emergency provisions—National, State, and Financial Emergencies—analyzing both their necessity and their potential for misuse (ADM Jabalpur v Shivkant Shukla).
Students are expected to bring the bare act and prepare to analyze Articles 246, 249, 352, 356, and 360. By the end of the class, students will be able to critically evaluate whether Indian federalism is more unitary than federal, and how emergency provisions affect the balance between liberty and state security.