Simone Lawson
The Constitution of India, the country's supreme legal document, was first drafted in February 1948 by the seven-member Drafting Committee chaired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The committee was tasked with drafting a constitution that reflected the aspirations and values of the Indian people. The first draft was released to the public and examined by the people of India for around eight months. The Constituent Assembly formally commenced its task of framing the constitution on 13 December 1946, and the final version was adopted on 26 November 1949.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of first meeting of the Constituent Assembly | 9 December 1946 |
| Date of first meeting of the Drafting Committee | 30 August 1947 |
| Date of completion of the Draft Constitution | October 1947 |
| Date of submission of the Draft Constitution to the Drafting Committee | 27 October 1947 |
| Date of submission of the final Draft Constitution to the President of the Constituent Assembly | 21 February 1948 |
| Date of submission of the Draft Constitution to the Constituent Assembly | 4 November 1948 |
| Date of the last meeting of the Constituent Assembly | 24 January 1950 |
| Date the Constitution was signed and accepted | 24 January 1950 |
| Date the Constitution came into force | 26 January 1950 |
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What You'll Learn
The Constituent Assembly of India
The Assembly was not a directly elected body, and its members were chosen by the Provincial Assemblies through a single transferable vote system of proportional representation. This system allowed for the representation of various sections of Indian society, including Muslims, Sikhs, and other communities. The Assembly's creation was proposed by V. K. Krishna Menon as early as 1933 and was demanded by the Indian National Congress in 1936, but it was only after the 1946 elections that the Constituent Assembly was formed.
The Constituent Assembly played a significant role in drafting the Constitution of India, which is the supreme legal document of the country. The process of drafting the Constitution took almost three years, with the Assembly holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The Assembly also served as the Provisional Parliament of India after independence in 1947, contributing to the construction of the Indian political system.
The Constituent Assembly included members from different castes, regions, religions, and genders, reflecting the diversity of India. It witnessed extensive debates and discussions, with the most significant being the Drafting Committee chaired by B.R. Ambedkar, which was responsible for preparing the Draft Constitution. The final Constitution of India, with 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts, was passed and adopted by the Assembly on November 26, 1949, and came into force on January 26, 1950, a date commemorated as Republic Day.
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The Provisional Parliament of India
The Indian Constitution was drafted in its entirety by the drafting committee over the course of two years, eleven months, and eighteen days after its founding in 1947. The first draft of the Indian Constitution was published in February 1948 by the Drafting Committee chaired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The Draft Constitution of India reflected the decisions taken by the Assembly on the reports of various committees that were tasked with drawing up constitutional provisions on specific parts of the Constitution.
The Drafting Committee, between October 1947 and February 1948, scrutinised, tweaked, and added to B.N. Rau's Draft. The Draft consisted of 315 articles – organised around eighteen 'Parts', and eight 'Schedules'. It touched upon a range of topics that one would expect in a constitutional document, such as the structure of government, centre-state relations, and the rights of citizens.
On 21 February 1948, the Drafting Committee submitted the Draft Constitution of India to the President of the Constituent Assembly. The Draft Constitution was finally adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 as the Constitution of India. The Constituent Assembly of India was disbanded in 1950 after the constitution came into force, and it was succeeded by the Parliament of India, which is still active today.
Article 379 of the Indian Constitution outlines the provisions for the provisional Parliament and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof. It states that until both Houses of Parliament have been duly constituted and summoned to meet for the first session under the Constitution, the Constituent Assembly of the Dominion of India shall itself exercise all the powers and perform all the duties conferred on Parliament. This includes making laws for securing the due constitution of the two Houses of Parliament and providing for all matters relating to or connected with elections to either House of Parliament, including the delimitation of constituencies. The article also outlines the representation of states or other territories in the provisional Parliament, the manner in which their representatives shall be chosen, and the qualifications to be possessed by such representatives.
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The Drafting Committee
The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by members of the provincial assemblies. The Constituent Assembly of India, consisting of indirectly elected representatives, was established to draft a constitution for India. It existed for approximately three years, serving as the Provisional Parliament of India after independence in 1947. The Assembly was not elected based on complete universal adult suffrage, and Muslims and Sikhs received special representation as minorities.
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The process of drafting
The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by members of the provincial assemblies. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
The Constituent Assembly of India was established to draft a constitution for India, including the now-separate countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was a partly elected and partly nominated body, with members elected by the Provincial Assemblies of British India and nominated by princely states. The Assembly was diverse, with members from different castes, regions, religions, and genders. It also included a wide range of ideologies and opinions, from conservatives and progressives to Marxists, liberals, and Hindu revivalists.
The drafting process involved several stages. The Constitutional Adviser to the Constituent Assembly, B.N. Rau, prepared the first Draft Constitution, which was completed by October 1947 and submitted to the Drafting Committee. The Drafting Committee, appointed on 29 August 1947 with B.R. Ambedkar as its chairman, began scrutinising the Draft Constitution on 27 October 1947. The Committee made changes to the Draft Constitution and submitted its final version to the President of the Constituent Assembly on 21 February 1948. The Draft Constitution was then published and circulated among the public, and a Special Committee was formed to consider the comments, critiques, and suggestions received.
The Draft Constitution was presented to the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1948, and the Assembly engaged in a clause-by-clause discussion of every Article. The Assembly approved the final Draft Constitution on 26 November 1949, and it was signed and accepted on 24 January 1950. The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, marking the completion of the drafting process.
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The Constitution's adoption and enforcement
The Indian Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by members of the provincial assemblies. The 389-member assembly (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated, framing the Constitution of India. It was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections in 1946 and nominated by princely states.
The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946, reassembling on 14 August 1947 as a sovereign body and successor to the British parliament's authority in India. The Drafting Committee, appointed on 29 August 1947, with B. R. Ambedkar as its chairman, began scrutinising the Draft Constitution prepared by the Constitutional Advisor on 27 October 1947. After making changes, the committee submitted its final Draft Constitution to the President of the Constituent Assembly on 21 February 1948. The Draft Constitution was presented to the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1948, by B. R. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. The Draft Constitution was now opened up for discussion in the Assembly. The Assembly approved the draft constitution on 26 November 1949. On 24 January 1950, the Constituent Assembly held its last meeting. The Constitution was signed and accepted (with 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts).
The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, a day now commemorated as Republic Day. The Constituent Assembly became the Provisional Parliament of India, continuing until after the first elections under the new constitution in 1952. The process of drafting the constitution took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days, at a total expenditure of ₹6.4 million.
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Frequently asked questions
The first draft of the Indian Constitution was published in February 1948 by the Drafting Committee.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar chaired the seven-member Drafting Committee.
The Drafting Committee was appointed on 29 August 1947 and held its inaugural meeting on 30 August 1947.
