Malcolm Rivera
The Constituent Assembly of India was a partly elected and partly nominated body that framed the Indian Constitution. The Assembly first met in 1946 and had 389 members, though some sources state that 207 members were present at the first meeting. After the partition of India, the membership was reduced to 299. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and signed by the members of the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950. In total, 284 members signed two copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and one in English.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of adoption | 26 November 1949 |
| Date members signed | 24 January 1950 |
| Number of members who signed | 284 |
| Number of members present at the first meeting | 207 |
| Total number of members | 389 |
| Number of members after partition | 299 |
| Number of sessions held | 11 |
| Number of days spent drafting the constitution | 165 |
| Number of days spent considering the draft constitution | 114 |
| Number of articles | 395 |
| Number of schedules | 8 |
| Number of parts | 22 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Constitution of India was signed by 284 members on 24 January 1950
- The Constituent Assembly of India first met on 9 December 1946
- The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950
- The Constituent Assembly of India had 17 female members by 1948
- The Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated
The Constitution of India was signed by 284 members on 24 January 1950
The Constituent Assembly of India, formed in 1946, was a partly elected and partly nominated body tasked with framing the Constitution of India. The Assembly's 389 members were elected by the Provincial Assemblies of British India and nominated by Princely States. The Assembly's membership was reduced to 299 after the partition of India.
The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949, and the members appended their signatures to it on 24 January 1950. This was the date of the Assembly's final session and last meeting. Each member signed two copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English.
The original, hand-written Constitution, with 395 articles, 8 schedules, and 22 parts, was decorated by artists from Shantiniketan and calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. It was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India. The Constituent Assembly took almost three years to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India.
On 26 January 1950, two days after the final session of the Constituent Assembly, the Constitution became the law of India. The Assembly then ceased to exist, transforming into the Provisional Parliament of India until a new Parliament was constituted in 1952.
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The Constituent Assembly of India first met on 9 December 1946
The Assembly's first sitting was boycotted by the Muslim League, who were demanding a separate state. Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the first Chairman (temporary) of the Assembly. Later, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President, with Harendra Coomar Mookerjee as Vice President, and B N Rau as Constitutional Advisor. The Constituent Assembly took almost three years to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India. It held eleven sessions over 165 or 166 days, with 114 days spent on the consideration of the Draft Constitution. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949, and the members appended their signatures to it on 24 January 1950. On this date, the Assembly held its final session, and each member signed two copies of the constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English.
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The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950
The Constituent Assembly of India first met in December 1946, with 207 members present. The total membership of the Assembly was 389, though this was reduced to 299 after the partition of India. The Assembly was partly elected and partly nominated, with members chosen by the Provincial Assemblies of British India and nominated by princely states. The Assembly took almost three years to draft the Constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days.
The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949, and the members appended their signatures to it on 24 January 1950. In total, 284 members signed the Constitution, each signing two copies—one in Hindi and one in English. The original constitution is hand-written, with each page decorated by artists from Shantiniketan.
Two days after the members signed the Constitution, on 26 January 1950, it became the law of India. On that day, the Constituent Assembly ceased to exist, transforming into the Provisional Parliament of India until a new Parliament was constituted in 1952. The Constitution has had more than 100 amendments since it was enacted. It is the world's longest constitution for a sovereign nation and the second-longest active constitution in the world, with approximately 145,000 words.
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The Constituent Assembly of India had 17 female members by 1948
The Constituent Assembly of India was a 389-member body elected to draft the Indian Constitution. It was chosen by the Provincial Assembly and served as the Provisional Parliament of India after the country gained independence from British rule in 1947. The Assembly first convened in New Delhi on 9 December 1946 and held its final session on 24 January 1950, when the members signed two copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English. The Constituent Assembly of India had 17 female members by 1948, although some sources state there were 15.
The female members of the Constituent Assembly of India were largely forgotten in the history books. However, their contributions to the assembly's debates and constitution-making were significant. They came from diverse backgrounds and represented the views of not only women but also socially deprived people from different professions and walks of life. Many had endured adversities such as child marriages, widowhood, and humiliation. They were lawyers, reformists, and freedom fighters, and many belonged to several women's organizations and feminist movements.
The women members of the Constituent Assembly of India included Ammu Swaminathan, Dakshayani Velayudhan, Begum Aizaz Rasul, G. Durgabai Deshmukh, Hansa Mehta, Kamala Chaudhri, Leela Roy, Malati Choudhury, Purnima Banerjee, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Renuka Ray, Sarojini Naidu, Sucheta Kripalani, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, and Annie Mascarene.
These women actively participated in discussions and debates, contributing to the socio-economic and socio-political issues they were passionate about. They represented diverse ideological views and ensured that the final Constitution accommodated extremely divergent viewpoints, carving a common ground of co-existence for all. Their accomplishments in realizing the need for social action and change are important and should be recognized and celebrated.
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The Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated
The Constituent Assembly of India was formed in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan. It was a partly elected and partly nominated body, with the purpose of drafting and formulating the Constitution of India. The Assembly was driven by the inadequacy of British-imposed constitutional frameworks, which limited self-governance while retaining British control over critical areas. The need for a Constituent Assembly was first proposed by MN Roy in 1935 and officially demanded by the Indian National Congress in Lucknow, led by Jawaharlal Nehru. The demand was accepted by the British in 1940.
The Assembly comprised 389 members, including 296 seats for British India and 93 for the princely states. The Congress Party held a large majority in the Assembly (69% of the seats), with the Muslim League holding almost all the seats reserved for Muslims. The representatives were chosen through voting using the proportional representation method by a single transferable vote. The elections were held for the seats reserved for British India in July-August 1946, and the Assembly convened for the first time on 9 December 1946.
The Constituent Assembly of India was established to draft a constitution for the country, including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Assembly was not a representative body, as its members were not directly elected based on universal adult franchise. Instead, they were indirectly elected by members of the provincial legislative assemblies, who were elected on a limited franchise. The Assembly was also not a sovereign body, as it was created by British proposals and held sessions with the permission of the British government.
The Constituent Assembly met for almost three years, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The constitution was finally adopted on 26 November 1949, and the members signed two copies of the constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English, on 24 January 1950. The Constituent Assembly served as the provisional Parliament from 26 January 1950 until the first general elections in 1951-52 established the new Parliament.
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Frequently asked questions
284 members signed the Constitution of India.
The Constituent Assembly of India had 389 members. However, after the partition of India, this number was reduced to 299.
The Constituent Assembly of India signed the Constitution on 24 January 1950.
