Challenges to Sovereignty in India's Federal System

Abstract

This study examines the structural and political challenges facing the Indian federal system under the centralized federal structure established by the 1950 Indian Constitution. This federalism combines the principle of national sovereignty with the principle of regional distribution of powers, contributing to structural tensions between the central government and the states. The study's significance lies in understanding the Indian federal model and highlighting the points of contact between the powers of the central government and the state governments. The conflict of jurisdictions appears not merely as an administrative problem but as a fundamental challenge to the concept of dual sovereignty within a single state. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate this by dividing it into three main sections: the nature of the federal system in India in terms of its origins and formation; the constitutional and legal framework of the institutions of the Indian federal system; and the challenges to sovereignty within the Indian federal system.