Simone Lawson
The Indian Constitution, which came into effect on 26 January 1950, was signed by the Constituent Assembly of India, which was made up of 389 members, including prominent Indian statesmen, freedom fighters, politicians, and journalists. The Constituent Assembly was partly elected and partly nominated, with members from the provincial assemblies of British India and princely states. The Assembly took almost three years to draft the Constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
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What You'll Learn
The Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly was elected by the Provincial assemblies of British India following the Provincial Assembly elections held in 1946 and nominated by princely states. The elections of 1946 saw the voting franchise extended to a much greater portion of the Indian adult population compared to previous elections under British Raj. The total membership of the Constituent Assembly was 389, including 292 representatives of the provinces, 93 representatives of the princely states, and 4 representatives from the chief commissioner provinces. 229 members came from the 12 British Indian provinces, with the Princely States represented by 70 individuals, and six members from the backward tribes. Close to 80% of the members were elected on a Congress ticket, but the Assembly as a whole was ideologically diverse.
The Constituent Assembly included prominent figures such as H. C. Mookherjee, H. V. Kamath, Hansa Mehta, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Dakshayani Velayudhan, and B. Shiva Rao. Female members of the Constituent Assembly, such as Mehta, Amrit Kaur, and Velayudhan, played a significant role and have been referred to as the 'mothers' of the Indian Constitution.
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Members of the Constituent Assembly
The Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time on 9 December 1946 in New Delhi. The Assembly was partly elected and partly nominated, with 292 representatives of the provinces, 93 representatives of the princely states, and 4 representatives from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg, and British Baluchistan. The Congress Party held the majority of the 389 seats (this number was reduced to 299 after the partition of India), with 69% of the seats, while the Muslim League held nearly all the seats reserved for Muslims. The Assembly also included members of smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India, and the Unionist Party.
The Constituent Assembly included prominent figures such as A. Ramaswamy Mudaliar, a lawyer, diplomat, and statesman; Jairamdas Daulatram, the first Chief Minister of Assam; and C. Subramaniam, a former Agriculture Minister and Bharat Ratna awardee. The Assembly was tasked with drafting a constitution for Independent India, a process that took almost three years.
The final session of the Constituent Assembly was held on 24 January 1950, during which each member signed two copies of the constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English. The constitution was then published in Dehradun and became the law of India two days later, on 26 January 1950.
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The Constitution's framers
The Indian Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by members of the provincial assemblies. The Constituent Assembly had 389 members (reduced to 299 after the partition of India) and took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over a 165-day period.
The Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time in the Constitution Hall, now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House, on 9 December 1946. 207 members were present and signed the register, submitting their credentials. The Assembly had 299 members as of December 1947: 229 members elected from 12 Indian provinces and 70 members nominated from 29 princely states.
Some notable members of the Constituent Assembly include:
- B. Shiva Rao: A prominent journalist and interlocutor who compiled 6 volumes on Constituent Assembly debates and documents.
- Jairamdas Daulatram: An Indian independence activist who served as the 1st Chief Minister of Assam.
- H. C. Mookherjee: A prominent Bengali Christian leader and the Vice-President of the Constituent Assembly.
- H. V. Kamath: An ex-ICS officer, social worker, and freelance journalist who joined the freedom movement under Subash Chandra Bose's Forward Bloc Party.
- C. Rajagopalachari: Voiced the demand for a Constituent Assembly in 1939 based on adult franchise, which was accepted by the British in August 1940.
- Jawaharlal Nehru: Led the Indian National Congress session in Lucknow in 1936, where the official demand for a Constituent Assembly was raised.
- V. K. Krishna Menon: Conceived and created the Constituent Assembly, first outlining its necessity in 1933.
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The Constitution's content and sources
The Indian Constitution is the world's longest for a sovereign nation, with 145,000 words across 395 articles, 8 schedules, and 22 parts. It was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by members of the provincial assemblies. The Constituent Assembly had 389 members, including 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 Assembly took almost three years to draft the constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days. The constitution was signed and accepted by all members of the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950, with each member signing two copies—one in Hindi and the other in English. The original constitution is hand-written, with each page decorated by artists from Shantiniketan and calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.
The Constituent Assembly of India met for the first time on 9 December 1946, with 207 members in attendance. The Congress Party held a large majority in the Assembly (69% of the seats), while the Muslim League held nearly all the seats reserved for Muslims. The Assembly also included members from smaller parties, such as the Scheduled Caste Federation, the Communist Party of India, and the Unionist Party. After India's independence in August 1947, the Assembly became the Provisional Parliament of India, and the number of representatives increased to 299. The constitution was approved on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, making India a sovereign, democratic republic.
The content of the Indian Constitution was influenced by previous legislation enacted during the period of British rule in India. This included the Government of India Acts of 1858, 1919, and 1935, the Indian Councils Acts of 1861, 1892, and 1909, and the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The constitution-making process was also shaped by colonial influences, resulting in a system where the executive has nominal power and an "advisor" wields actual power, similar to the British system.
The Indian Constitution establishes a federal structure with integrated federalism, where both the central government and state governments have defined powers. It provides for a parliamentary system with a Prime Minister as the head of government and a President as the head of state. The constitution grants legislative powers to the two Houses of Parliament, with the President's signature required for bills to become law. It also includes treaty-making as part of the executive power given to the President, although the Prime Minister is primarily responsible for international treaties. The constitution allows states to set up High Courts and lower courts, with appeals ultimately reaching the Supreme Court of India.
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The Constitution's enactment
The Constituent Assembly of India, which was responsible for drafting the Indian Constitution, met for the first time on December 9, 1946, in the Constitution Hall, now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House. The Assembly was partly elected and partly nominated, with 292 representatives of the provinces, 93 representing the princely states, and 4 from the chief commissioner provinces. The Congress Party held the majority of the 389 seats (this number was reduced to 299 after the partition of India), with the Muslim League holding nearly all the seats reserved for Muslims. The Assembly took almost three years to draft the Constitution, holding eleven sessions over 165 days.
The Constituent Assembly's final session took place on January 24, 1950, when each member signed two copies of the Constitution, one in Hindi and the other in English. The original Constitution is handwritten, with each page decorated by artists from Shantiniketan and calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada. The Constitution was published in Dehradun and photolithographed by the Survey of India.
The Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950, when it became the law of the land. It repealed the Indian Independence Act 1947 and the Government of India Act 1935, marking India's transition from a dominion of the British Crown to a sovereign, democratic republic. The Indian Constitution is the world's longest for a sovereign nation, with about 145,000 words across 395 articles, 8 schedules, and 22 parts. It has undergone more than 100 amendments since its enactment.
The Constituent Assembly of India included prominent figures such as Jairamdas Daulatram, H. C. Mookherjee, H. V. Kamath, and Beohar Rammanohar Sinha, among others. These individuals played significant roles in India's independence movement, politics, law, journalism, and social work. The Assembly was conceived and created by V. K. Krishna Menon, with the official demand for a Constituent Assembly raised by Jawaharlal Nehru and C. Rajagopalachari.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constituent Assembly of India signed the Constitution of India.
The Constituent Assembly of India had 389 members, 292 of whom represented provinces, 93 represented princely states, and 4 were from the chief commissioner provinces. After the partition of India, the Assembly was reduced to 299 members.
Some of the prominent members of the Constituent Assembly of India were Jairamdas Daulatram, H. C. Mookherjee, H. V. Kamath, C. Rajagopalachari, and B. Shiva Rao.
The Constituent Assembly of India first met on December 9, 1946, in the Constitution Hall, now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House.
It took the Constituent Assembly of India almost three years to draft the Constitution of India.
