Sovereign (2024)

In politics, the Sovereign is used to prioritise the main leader in various categorical aspects. This word has been derived from the French word ‘sovereign’, which has come from the Latin word superānus, which means “Above”. The title sovereign can be applied to the head of states or head of municipal governance. Sovereign is applied to the Indian constitution, representing that India is not regulated by any other external power or governing body. Constitutional sovereignty governs every process of construction and amending of Indian law. Each of the states under India can take independent decisions. Therefore, sovereignty is maintained in India and mentioned in the preamble part of the constitution.

The word Sovereign derives from an old French word sovereign which inversely came from the Latin word superānus. The meaning of the Latin word is ‘Above”. Therefore, the ethical meaning of the word is the high-ranked authority of a Governing body to imply the right to make autonomous decisions. The word is used as a tale in politics to give reality to the individual seated in the highest rank of the governing body. The practice to give superiority to the Sovereign is known as sovereignty. Sovereignty is the practice over polity to give respect and power to the Sovereign to make decisions for the governing body and take immediate decisions in devastating situations. There are several types of sovereignty which are as follows:

  1. Titular sovereignty: it can be defined as a fake sovereign only by name, which is not given any superior power to govern effectively. For example, the king of Japan, the Queen of Britain, is performing the role of titular sovereignty.
  2. Legal and political sovereignty: Legal Sovereignty is the supreme power of states to empower the legislation and decision by the highest authority. In each state of India, there is Legal sovereignty. Generally, it is said that electorates have only political sovereignty. Legal sovereignty is selected by political sovereigns.
  3. Internal and external sovereignty

The core understanding of this type of sovereignty is to implement the supreme power to the state authority over all other authority or institutions. External sovereignty means the practice of sovereignty by the state’s authority to stop the attack of foreign states on other foreign states.

  1. Popular sovereignty

It refers to the practice of sovereignty by which the governing body is supported and empowered by the public. In democratic countries, popular sovereignty is practised by the common people by electing their representatives.

  1. De Jure and De Facto sovereignty

This type of sovereignty is authorized by rules and laws to empower the governing body.

Sovereignty in the preamble of the Indian constitution

Preamble represents the introduction part of the Indian constitution and states that Indians are the origin of the constitution. It secures justice, liberty, equality and promotion in fraternity among all Indians. The word “Sovereignty” had been mentioned in the preamble for the attribution of the word “Republic”. It has represented three ideas regarding Indian law. The “Republic of India” is considered as a single entity, and the entity is termed as “Sovereignty”. It represents one nation, one country, one voice, one state and “one will”, which are the main criteria for emphasising “Sovereign Republic” in Indian democracy. The “Republic of India” refers to “Sovereignty” that suggests equal and independent status with the members of the international community.

Moreover, India has the supreme legal competence to fix Indian laws. It suggests the owner affairs and absolute control of Indian regulations by the “Sovereignty”. Therefore, it can be said that India is a country that follows sober, and these are represented in the Indian constitution.

Analysis of preamble

Indian democracy has been emphasised in the constitution preamble by analysing the “Sovereignty” of India. It focuses on the two-fold objective of the Indian constitution regarding the term “Sovereign Democratic Republic”. The preamble tells the unity of nations while promoting fraternity among all the citizens of India. It suggests the idea of constructing a nation with “one voice and one will”. It also expresses that the constituent assembly was given to the Indian citizens on 26 November 1949. The preamble clarified that “Sovereignty” is associated with each people of India, and there does not exist any rooms for princess, crown or similar rank. All the people of India have been marked as one body in the preamble of the Indian constitution. They are all included for presenting the assembly chamber to construct the frame of the constitution. Solman’s resolution is taken in it, referring to the Indian, not the God.

The preamble has expressed some terms to describe the Indian democracy. These terms are:

Democratic: it represents the political democracy, i.e., the application of the voting system to elect any country leader.

Republic: the head authority of any state elected by vote is called a republic. It represents the “Sovereignty” of the people to represent the democracy and government of India.

Liberty: the preamble expects the liberty of expression, faith, belief and thoughts of all Indians

Equality: the preamble aims to control equality by maintaining basic facts like economic, political and social matters by giving opportunities.

Fraternity: it expresses the brotherhood among all the communities under India.

Indian Sovereignty

The term “the people of India” represents the Indian constitution and talks about the nullification of other authorities to enact Indian laws. From the preamble analysis, it can be said that the Indian constitution had been constructed to maintain equality among all the citizens of India. It is evident that all the governing rules are maintained by independent states under India. The Government of India is independent to take any steps regarding the nation. No external nation or community has control over it. The preamble takes the resolution to maintain equality among all the people of India to get the opportunity of various political, economic, social and other factors. All of these explanations make it clear that India is a sovereign country.

Conclusion

Sovereign is referred to as the supreme power of the highest authority. A sovereign has the power to control the governing body. The Sovereign is selected by the common people. The practice of sovereignty is over polity to make reasonable decisions to protect the common people. The prime duty of a sovereign is to protect the public can’t make decisions to solve the issues in politics. The high authorities of India have the supreme power to make any rational decisions. Moreover, the Indian preamble says about equality among all citizens. Therefore, India is considered a sovereign country, and the word “Sovereign” is mentioned in the introduction part of the constitution, i.e., preamble.

Sovereign (2024)

FAQs

What does sovereign mean? ›

: one possessing or held to possess supreme political power or sovereignty. b. : one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere. c. : an acknowledged leader : arbiter.

Is the USA a sovereign country? ›

Sovereignty in its simplest form means governmental power over people and land. Governments possess sovereignty. The United States has sovereignty, each state has sovereignty, and Indian tribes have sovereignty. The sovereignty of the United States comes from each state.

What is sovereignty in simple words? ›

: supreme power especially over a politically organized unit : dominion. b. : freedom from outside control : autonomy. c. : the condition of being sovereign or a sovereign.

Is Canada a sovereign country? ›

Queen Elizabeth II gave royal assent to the Canada Act on March 29, 115 years to the day after Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, had approved the federation act of 1867. Thus the last legal tie with Great Britain was severed, and Canada became a fully sovereign state.

Who is sovereign in the Bible? ›

A sovereign is a ruler, a king, a lord, and Scripture often refers to God as the one who rules over all. His most common proper name, Yahweh (see Ex. 3:14) is regularly translated Lord in the English Bible. And Lord, in turn, is found there over 7,000 times as a name of God and specifically as a name of Jesus Christ.

Why do we say God is sovereign? ›

Sovereignty of God in Christianity can be defined as the right of God to exercise his ruling power over his creation. Sovereignty can include also the way God exercises his ruling power.

Is Florida a sovereign state? ›

On January 10, 1861, nearly all delegates in the Florida Legislature approved an ordinance of secession, declaring Florida to be "a sovereign and independent nation"—an apparent reassertion to the preamble in Florida's Constitution of 1838, in which Florida agreed with Congress to be a "Free and Independent State".

Who has sovereign power in the United States? ›

The United States possesses absolute sovereignty within its own borders, but below the federal government there are other political units such as states, counties, cities, and towns.

Why are US states not considered sovereign? ›

Each state in the U.S. is sovereign in the sense that they have their own constitution and generally create their own laws. However, they still have to adhere to federal laws, and the Supreme Court (a federal court) is the highest court in the land that can overrule states' judicial decisions.

What is a person's sovereignty? ›

'Sovereignty of the individual, individual sovereignty or de-jure self-autonomy, is generally understood as a right implying the right of self-ownership and one's property, also called negative sovereignty, but also implying the rejection (Hohfeldian disability) of positive sovereignty, in the sense that it is the ...

Why is sovereignty so important? ›

A state that has internal sovereignty is one with a government that has been elected by the people and has the popular legitimacy. Internal sovereignty examines the internal affairs of a state and how it operates. It is important to have strong internal sovereignty to keeping order and peace.

What is the deep meaning of sovereignty? ›

In conclusion, sovereignty is defined as a country's ability to control its own people and support itself while also being recognized as having this power by other countries. To define a country as sovereign, it must have both de jure and de facto sovereignty.

Does Canada pay royalties to England? ›

Contrary to public rumors, at no time do Canadians "pay money" to Britain or to the Royal Family.

Does Canada give money to the royal family? ›

The sovereign similarly only draws from Canadian funds for support in the performance of his duties when in Canada or acting as King of Canada abroad; Canadians do not pay any money to the King or any other member of the royal family, either towards personal income or to support royal residences outside of Canada.

What is an example of sovereignty? ›

Sovereignty is a feature of countries. An example of a country gaining sovereignty would be the United States. It proclaimed itself independent in July 1776, but it took it until the end of the Revolutionary War in 1783 to take over the territory it claimed and reach de facto (domestic) sovereignty.

What is the sovereign right in simple terms? ›

Definition: Sovereign right is a special right that only a government or its agencies have. This right allows them to perform their official duties for the benefit of the public. It is different from other rights that a government may have as a private entity.

What is an example of a sovereign state? ›

A sovereign state is any area of land that has absolute power over its own laws and liberties. Argentina, for example, is a sovereign state. The states in the U.S. have sovereignty to write their own laws and to establish state courts.

Why is it said people are sovereign? ›

Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political legitimacy. Popular sovereignty, being a principle, does not imply any particular political implementation.

How do you live a sovereign life? ›

Sovereign Individuals cultivate a forward looking mindset and identify where society is heading. You need to be able to look out 12 to 18 months and ahead 5 to 10 years. If you're not prepared for what comes next, you'll find yourself following the herd and living an average existence.

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