Did the Government of India Act, 1935 lay down a federal constitution? Discuss. (UPSC 2015)

The Government of India Act, 1935 did lay down a federal scheme, but not a full or true federation. It proposed a Union of British Indian Provinces and Princely States, with powers divided between the Centre and provinces.

• Federal features: three legislative lists, provincial autonomy, bicameral federal legislature, and a Federal Court.
• Major limits: the federation was never formed because the Princely States did not join; residuary powers went to the Governor-General; governors had wide discretionary powers; and dyarchy was retained at the Centre.
• Central control: emergency powers and reserved subjects kept the system under British dominance.

Thus, the Act provided the framework of federalism, but its real design was a quasi-federal, highly centralised constitution. It was federal in form, yet unitary in spirit and operation.