Simone Lawson
The Constitution of India, the supreme legal document and the longest written national constitution in the world, was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950, replacing the Government of India Act 1935. The Constituent Assembly, conceived and created by V. K. Krishna Menon, was a 389-member body consisting of indirectly elected representatives from different castes, regions, religions, and genders. The Assembly was tasked with drafting a constitution for India, a process that took approximately three years. The original manuscript of the Constitution, consisting of 395 articles, 8 schedules, and a preamble, was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada in English and Hindi.
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What You'll Learn
The Constituent Assembly of India
The Assembly members were chosen by the Provincial Legislatures, with most dominated by the Congress party. The Muslim League boycotted the Assembly, and there was a bias towards the upper-caste Hindus. However, there was an attempt to balance things out, and other parties were well represented. The princes nominated their own representatives, who made important and independent contributions.
The Assembly was chaired by Dr Rajendra Prasad, and participants included Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr B R Ambedkar, and Sarojini Naidu. Ambedkar, as chairman of the Drafting Committee, is often called the father of the Indian Constitution. Other members included Hansa Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Amrit Kaur, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Frank Anthony, and Harendra Coomar Mookerjee.
The Constituent Assembly's work has been somewhat forgotten, with the focus usually on the British role at the end of the Raj, and the drama of freedom at midnight, followed by the shocks of Gandhi's assassination and Partition. However, the Assembly was a significant achievement, as Indians deliberated on their future and governed the country during a time of great change.
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The role of Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru, born on 14 November 1889 in Allahabad, was a central and principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. He played a key role in India's journey to independence and subsequently served as the country's first prime minister for 16 years.
Nehru's role in the making of the Indian Constitution has been described as "decisive" and "paramount". He is credited with leading the process of building new institutions of democratic governance and a new culture of parliamentary democracy. He also played a significant role in shaping modern India's government and political culture, along with its foreign policy.
Nehru's famous speech, delivered to the Constituent Assembly, is often overlooked in favour of the drama of freedom at midnight and the assassination of Gandhi. However, from December 1946 to December 1949, Indians were governing the country and deliberating on their future in the Constituent Assembly. Nehru's role in this process was significant, and he is regarded as the "real architect" of India's Constitution.
Nehru's contributions to the making of the Indian Constitution include his advocacy for children's rights, his support for social justice, and his role in establishing independent India's relations with the rest of the world on principles of peace and brotherhood. His commitment to constitutional norms in politics and governance is also noted, with many attributing the survival of India's constitutional democracy to his leadership.
Nehru's influence extended beyond the Constituent Assembly, as he played a major role in shaping the overall direction of modern India. He promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, profoundly influencing India's trajectory as a modern nation. In addition, he successfully steered India away from the two blocs of the Cold War, adopting an independent foreign policy through its support and membership of the Non-Alignment Movement.
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The role of V.K. Krishna Menon
Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon, or V.K. Krishna Menon, played a significant role in the formation of the Indian constitution. Known for his eloquence, brilliance, and forceful personality, Menon was a close confidant of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, and was considered by some as the second most powerful man in the nation during Nehru's premiership.
Menon was a relentless crusader for Indian independence in the UK in the 1930s and 1940s. He led and represented the India League and the broader Indian independence movement in London, advocating for Indian independence before the British Parliament and the public. In the 1930s, only the British Communist Party advocated for India's freedom in the UK, so Menon associated with them and used their forums to campaign for Indian independence, despite not identifying as a communist himself.
Menon conceptualized and created the Constituent Assembly of India, which met for the first time on December 9, 1946, and was adopted on November 26, 1949. He wrote the first draft of the Preamble to the Constitution, which came into being with very slight adjustments. The Preamble declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, assuring its citizens justice, equality, and liberty, and promoting fraternity.
Post-independence, Menon continued to play a central role in India's international relations and diplomacy. He was appointed High Commissioner of India to the UK from 1947 to 1952 and effectively lobbied for India to retain its Commonwealth membership. He was also the chairman of the Indian delegation to the United Nations from 1949 to 1962, facilitating resolutions in diverse situations such as the Suez Crisis, Korean War, and the Chinese capture of American airmen.
Menon's contributions to the Indian Constitution and his advocacy for Indian independence earned him widespread adulation in India, while his opposition to British political manoeuvres and his abrasive personality led to detractors in the West, who feared his influence in global diplomacy.
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The role of Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena)
Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena) played a significant role in the creation of India's Constitution. He was responsible for the handwritten transcription of the Indian Constitution, a task that took him six months to complete.
Raizada was born on December 17, 1901, into a family of calligraphers. His grandfather, Ram Parshadji Saxena, was a scholar of Persian and English, and his uncle, Mahashya Chatur Behari Narayan Saxena, was also a calligrapher. After losing his parents at a young age, Raizada was raised by his grandfather and uncle, who likely influenced his interest in calligraphy. He went on to graduate from St. Stephen's College in Delhi and became a master of calligraphic art.
In 1947, following India's independence, the Constituent Assembly established a Drafting Committee to create the Indian Constitution. After 11 sessions, numerous debates, and amendments, the draft was finalised. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, recognising Raizada's skill and expertise, entrusted him with the task of transcribing the Constitution.
Raizada's work involved writing 395 articles, 8 schedules, and a preamble in both English and Hindi. He used his talent in italic calligraphy to meticulously craft each word of the Constitution. The original manuscript, penned by Raizada, consisted of 251 pages and weighed 3.75 kg. It was signed by the members of the Constituent Assembly on January 24, 1950, and came into force on January 26, 1950.
In addition to Raizada's calligraphy, the Constitution was visually enhanced by artists Beohar Rammanohar Sinha and Nandalal Bose, who decorated each page with intricate border designs and beautiful art pieces. The final product was a testament to Raizada's skill and dedication, ensuring that the Indian Constitution was not only a legal document but also a work of art.
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The 299 delegates who drafted the constitution
The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was a partly elected and partly nominated body. The assembly was conceived and created by V. K. Krishna Menon, who first outlined its necessity in 1933. The Constituent Assembly had 389 members initially, which reduced to 299 after the partition of India. The assembly was elected by members of the provincial assemblies, and it included representatives for those provinces that formed part of Pakistan (some of which are now in Bangladesh).
The Constituent Assembly's first session was held on 9 December 1946, and it took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period. The assembly moved, discussed, and disposed of 2,473 amendments out of a total of 7,635. The constitution was finally adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.
The Constituent Assembly was chaired by B. R. Ambedkar, who was tasked with the burden of drafting the constitution. He was supported by a seven-member drafting committee, which was appointed on 29 August 1947. The other six members of the committee were K. M. Munshi, Muhammed Sadulla, Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar, Devi Prasad Khaitan, and BL Mitter. The committee was advised by B. N. Rau, a civil servant who became the first Indian judge at the International Court of Justice. Rau prepared the initial draft of the constitution in February 1948, which was then discussed, amended, and revised by the drafting committee.
The Constituent Assembly was also supported by several committees, including the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities, and Tribal and Excluded Areas, the Union Powers Committee, the Union Constitution Committee, and the Provincial Constitution Committee. These committees submitted their reports between April and August 1947, and the Constituent Assembly discussed the general principles outlined in the recommendations. The assembly was also addressed by Jawaharlal Nehru, who moved the Objectives Resolution, which aimed to declare India an independent sovereign republic and create a constitution to govern its future.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was made up of 299 delegates from different castes, regions, religions, and genders. It was handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada (Saxena), a noted calligraphist.
The Constituent Assembly of India was partly elected and partly nominated. It was elected by the Provincial Assemblies of British India following the 1946 Provincial Assembly elections and nominated by princely states. It had a total membership of 389, with 292 representatives of the provinces, 93 representing the princely states, and 4 from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg, and British Baluchistan.
The Constituent Assembly of India was established in 1947 and the constitution was drafted over 114 days spread across 3 years. It came into force on 26 January 1950.
The Constituent Assembly of India was established to draft a constitution for India, which would replace the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document.
