Making of Indian Constitution: The Constitution is the most important set of laws in a country, and in India, it’s the supreme law. This document outlines how the government works, what powers it has, and what rights and duties the people have. It’s the longest constitution globally and gives more importance to the constitution itself rather than the Parliament. The people agreed to follow it, and even the Parliament can’t change it.
MN Roy proposed the idea of the Constituent Assembly for India in 1934. Following extensive discussions, a Cabinet Mission was dispatched to India. Eventually, in November 1946, the Constituent Assembly was formed based on the plan outlined by the Cabinet Mission.
The Constituent Assembly, initially elected for all of undivided India, convened its first session on December 9, 1946. Later, on August 14, 1947, it reconvened as the supreme Constituent Assembly for the Dominion of India. Members were chosen indirectly by the Provincial Legislative Assembly (Lower House only), following the plan suggested by the Cabinet Delegation.
The Constituent Assembly formally began its task of creating the Constitution of India on December 13, 1946, when Jawaharlal Nehru presented the Objectives Resolution. This resolution aimed to declare India as an Independent Sovereign Republic and establish a Constitution for its future governance. The resolution outlined broad principles that would guide the Constituent Assembly’s work, and it was adopted on January 22, 1947.
Representatives from princely states gradually joined the Assembly, with six states’ representatives becoming part of it on April 28, 1947. Following the acceptance of the Mountbatten Plan on June 3, 1947, which proposed the partition of the country, representatives from most other princely states also took their seats in the Assembly.
In addition to making of Indian Constitution and enacting the ordinary laws, the Constituent Assembly also performed the following functions:
In total, the Constituent Assembly conducted 11 sessions spanning two years, 11 months, and 18 days. The framers of the Constitution studied the constitutions of approximately 60 countries, and the Draft Constitution was under consideration for 114 days. The overall cost incurred in the Constitution-making process amounted to Rs 64 lakh. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly concluded its final session. Despite this, it didn’t dissolve and continued as the provisional parliament of India from January 26, 1950, until the establishment of the new Parliament after the initial general elections in 1951-52.
The Constituent Assembly designated various committees to address different aspects of constitution-making, comprising eight major committees and several minor committees. A total of 22 committees were chosen to handle a range of tasks related to Constitution-making, with 10 focusing on procedural matters and 12 on substantive affairs. Below are the names of these committees and their respective chairpersons:
Committees of the Constituent Assembly | |
Major Committees | Chairmen |
Drafting Committee | Dr. B.R. Ambedkar |
Steering Committee, Ad hoc Committee on the National Flag, Committee on the Rules of Procedure, Finance and Staff Committee | Rajendra Prasad |
Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Committee on Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas, Provincial Constitution Committee | Vallabhbhai Patel |
Committee on the Functions of the Constituent Assembly | G.V. Mavalankar |
Special Committee to Examine the Draft Constitution | Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar |
Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee | A.V. Thakkar |
Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee | J.B. Kripalani |
House Committee | B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya |
Minorities Sub-Committee | H.C. Mukherjee |
North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam, Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas Sub-Committee | Gopinath Bardoloi |
Order of Business Committee | K.M. Munshi |
Union Constitution Committee, Union Powers Committee, States Committee | Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru |
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar presented the final draft of the Constitution to the Assembly on November 4, 1948. The motion on the Draft Constitution was approved on November 26, 1949, with signatures from both members and the president. This date is mentioned in the Preamble as the day when the people of India, through the Constituent Assembly, adopted and enacted the Constitution for themselves.
The Constitution, as finalized on November 26, 1949, included a Preamble, 395 Articles, and 8 Schedules. Interestingly, the Preamble was enacted after the entire Constitution. The remaining provisions came into effect on January 26, 1950, recognized as the date of its commencement and celebrated as Republic Day.
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The Constitution of India is the supreme law that outlines the country's political code, structure, powers, and duties of government institutions, fundamental rights, directive principles, and citizens' duties.
The idea for the Constituent Assembly was put forward by MN Roy in 1934. It was constituted in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan after several discussions and a Cabinet Mission's visit to India.
The Constituent Assembly formally began framing the Constitution on December 13, 1946, with Jawaharlal Nehru introducing the Objectives Resolution, which laid out broad principles for governance.
Members of the Constituent Assembly were elected indirectly by the Provincial Legislative Assembly (Lower House only). The Provinces elected 292 members, while Indian States were allotted a maximum of 93 seats.
The Constituent Assembly also performed functions like rectifying Commonwealth membership, adopting the national flag, national anthem, and national song, and electing Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India.
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