Isabella Carter
The Indian Constitution, the supreme legal document of India, was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949. It came into effect on 26 January 1950, marking India's transition from the Dominion of India to the Republic of India. The constitution is the fundamental governing document of the country, laying down the framework for the political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, as well as the fundamental rights and duties of citizens.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date Adopted by the Constituent Assembly | 26 November 1949 |
| Date the Constitution was signed and accepted | 24 January 1950 |
| Date the Constitution came into force | 26 January 1950 |
| Number of Articles | 395 |
| Number of Schedules | 8 |
| Number of Parts | 22 |
| Total expenditure | ₹6.4 million |
| Date of first demand for a Constituent Assembly | 1934 |
| Date of acceptance of demand for a Constituent Assembly | 1940 |
| Date of elections to the Constituent Assembly | 1946 |
| Date of first meeting of the Constituent Assembly | 9 December 1946 |
| Date of last meeting of the Constituent Assembly | 24 January 1950 |
| Number of sessions held | 11 |
| Number of days the Constituent Assembly met for | 166 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949
- The Constituent Assembly's first meeting was in New Delhi on 9 December 1946
- The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950
- The Constitution was signed and accepted on 24 January 1950
- The Constituent Assembly for undivided India was indirectly elected
The Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949
The Indian Constitution is the supreme legal document of India and is the world's longest written national constitution. It lays down the framework for the country's fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out the fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens.
The Constitution was signed and accepted on 24 January 1950, with 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts. The final document drew upon the constitutions of many other countries. For example, the idea of a parliamentary form of government and single citizenship was borrowed from Britain, and the concept of fundamental rights and the government's federal structure was taken from the US.
The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, when the Dominion of India became the Republic of India. This process took 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days, at a total expenditure of ₹6.4 million.
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The Constituent Assembly's first meeting was in New Delhi on 9 December 1946
The Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time on 9 December 1946 in New Delhi. This assembly acted as independent India's first parliament, and its primary mandate was to draft a constitution for the country. The assembly was formed following the 1946 Cabinet Mission Plan, which allowed for elections to the Constituent Assembly. The members were elected by the members of the provincial assemblies through a single transferable vote of proportional representation. The assembly initially consisted of 389 members, but after India's partition, this number decreased to 299. Of these, 229 were from British Indian provinces, and the remaining 70 were from princely states. Seats were allotted proportionally to the populations of the British Indian provinces and princely states and were divided among Muslims, Sikhs, and other communities.
The first meeting was held in the Constitution Hall, now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House. Sachchidananda Sinha, the oldest member, was elected as the assembly's first temporary Chairman. Later, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President, and Harendra Coomar Mookerjee was elected as the Vice President. B N Rau was appointed as the Constitutional Advisor. The Muslim League members boycotted the first meeting, demanding partition. The Congress party dominated the assembly, with 208 seats, while the Muslim League had won 73.
In the first session, Jawaharlal Nehru stated:
> "The first task of this Assembly is to free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people, and to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity."
The assembly was in function for 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days, during which it held 11 sessions and met for 166 days. The Constituent Assembly became the Provisional Parliament of India until 1952, after which the first general elections were held.
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The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950
The Indian Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, marking the end of a process that began in 1934 when M.N. Roy, a Communist party leader, first proposed the idea of a Constituent Assembly. This proposal was taken up by the Congress party, and in 1940, the British government accepted the demand. The Constituent Assembly for undivided India met for the first time in December 1946, and the final draft of the Constitution was approved in November 1949.
The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of the country, and it lays down the framework for the fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions. It also sets out the fundamental rights, directive principles, and duties of citizens. As the supreme law of the land, the Constitution supersedes parliamentary supremacy, and it replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
The process of drafting the Constitution took 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days, and cost ₹6.4 million. The Constituent Assembly held 11 sessions and met for 166 days, with over 30 representatives of the scheduled classes. The Assembly included key figures such as B.R. Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, and Vallabhbhai Patel, among others. The final document was signed on 24 January 1950, and it came into force two days later, with G. V. Mavlankar serving as the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The Constitution of India is notable for its length, being the longest written national constitution in the world. It establishes a parliamentary form of government that is federal in structure but with certain unitary features. The constitutional head of the Executive of the Union is the President, who exercises their functions in accordance with the advice of a Council of Ministers, headed by the Prime Minister.
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The Constitution was signed and accepted on 24 January 1950
The Indian Constitution was signed and accepted on 24 January 1950, marking the last meeting of the Constituent Assembly. The Assembly first met in 1946, and its members included Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, and Vallabhbhai Patel, among others. The Constituent Assembly was elected indirectly by the provincial legislatures, and it included 278 representatives and 15 women. The Assembly's goal, as expressed by Nehru, was to "free India through a new constitution, to feed the starving people, and to clothe the naked masses, and to give every Indian the fullest opportunity to develop himself according to his capacity."
The signing of the Constitution was the culmination of a process that began in 1934 when M.N. Roy, a Communist party leader, first proposed the idea of a Constituent Assembly. The British government accepted this demand in 1940, and elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in 1946. The Assembly met for the first time in December of that year and worked to draft the Indian Constitution, which was finally approved on 26 November 1949. The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of the country and is the longest written national constitution in the world.
The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document. This date is also known as Republic Day, as it was when the Dominion of India officially became the Republic of India. The Constitution provides a framework for the basic political principles and establishes the roles and responsibilities of different government institutions in terms of procedures, powers, and duties. It also contains fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens.
The Indian Constitution is notable for its espousal of constitutional supremacy, which means that it was created by a constituent assembly rather than Parliament. This gives it a unique status compared to other parliamentary systems, such as the United Kingdom. While the Indian Constitution can be amended by Parliament, the Supreme Court has held that certain features of the Constitution are so integral that they cannot be removed. This is known as the 'Basic Structure' Doctrine.
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The Constituent Assembly for undivided India was indirectly elected
The Constituent Assembly for undivided India met for the first time on December 9, 1946, and reassembled as the Constituent Assembly for divided India on August 14, 1947, after India gained independence on August 15, 1947. The members who represented the areas that became part of Pakistan had to be replaced, and new elections were held. As a result of the partition, the membership of the Constituent Assembly of India was reduced to 299.
The Constituent Assembly was not a sovereign body since it was created by the British. However, it functioned as a fully independent and sovereign body. It was dominated by the Congress Party, which also dominated the provincial assemblies. The assembly was heterogeneous, with members from almost all sections of Indian society. Still, it was alleged that there was Hindu dominance due to proportional representation from communities.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag on July 22, 1947, and the national anthem and national song on January 24, 1950. On this day, the Constituent Assembly held its final session, and Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first President of India. The Constitution of India was passed and adopted by the assembly on November 26, 1949, and came into force on January 26, 1950, when it was signed and accepted. The Constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document, and the Dominion of India became the Republic of India.
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Frequently asked questions
The Indian Constitution was passed on 26 November 1949.
The Indian Constitution came into effect on 26 January 1950.
The process of drafting the Indian Constitution took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days.
The Indian Constitution is the supreme legal document of India and lays down the framework for the country's political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions.
The Indian Constitution is significant as it is the permanent instrument that ensures the functioning of the government system and is the country's fundamental governing document.
