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MAKING OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION

Timeline: The members of each community selected
India was getting close to Independence and their members by the method of
subsequently the need of Constitution was felt. proportional representation with single
transferable voting system.
• The idea to have the constitution in India
was given in the year 1934 by Mr. M.N. • The Constituent Assembly included all the
Roy, the pioneer of the communist important personalities of India except
movement in India. Mahatma Gandhi and M.A. Jinnah.
• In the year 1935, Indian National Congress • After the creation of the new constituent
for the first time, demanded a Constituent assembly for Pakistan, 90 members
Assembly to frame the Constitution of resigned from the constituent assembly of
India. India, which reduced the size of the
• In the year 1938, Jawahar Lal Nehru, on the assembly from 389 to 299 members.
behalf of congress, said that the
Constitution of India will be made by an Objectives Resolution
independent constituent assembly without On December 13, 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru
any external interference. moved the historic ‘Objectives Resolution’ in
• The demand was accepted by the British the Assembly. It laid down the fundamentals
parliament which came to be known as the and philosophy of the constitutional structure.
‘August Offer’ in the year 1940. It read:
• In the year 1942, Cripps India Mission came “This Constituent Assembly declares its firm and
to India under Sir Strafford Cripps and said solemn resolve to proclaim India as an
that the Constituent Assembly will be setup Independent Sovereign Republic and to draw up
but after the Second World War. for her future governance a Constitution:”
• Finally, in May 1946, Cabinet Mission Plan • Wherein the territories that now comprise
came to India under Cripps, Lawrence and British India, the territories that now form
Alexander and they setup the Constituent the Indian States, and such other parts of
Assembly of India. India, as are outside India and the States as
well as other territories as are willing to be
Constituent Assembly: constituted into the independent sovereign
The Constituent Assembly of India consists of India, shall be a Union of them all; and
389 members out of whom 292 members were
• wherein the said territories, whether with
elected from various provinces, 93 members
their present boundaries or with such
were nominated from the Princely States and 4
others as may be determined by the
members were from the Chief Commissioner
Constituent Assembly and thereafter
areas of Delhi, Ajmer- Marwar, Coorg and
according to the law of the Constitution,
British Baluchistan.
shall possess and retain the status of
• The members of the Constituent Assembly autonomous units together with residuary
were selected on the basis of the powers and exercise all powers and
population and were in the ratio of roughly functions of Government and
1: 10,00,000 (1 million). administration except such powers and
• The seats of the provinces were divided functions as are vested in or assigned to
into three major communities i.e. Muslims, the Union or as are inherent or implied in
Sikhs and General (all except Muslims and the Union or resulting therefrom; and
Sikhs).

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• wherein all power and authority of the • 4th November1948

Sovereign Independent India, its • 15th November 1948 and
constituent parts and organs of • 14th November 1949.
Government are derived from the people; After various changes, the Constituent
• wherein, shall be guaranteed and secured Assembly of India finally accepted the
to all the people of India, justice, social, Constitution on 26th November 1949.
economic and political; equality of status of • The last session of the Constituent
opportunity, and before the law; freedom Assembly took place on 24th January 1950
of thought, expression, belief, faith, where Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as
worship, vocation, association and action, the President of India; out of the total
subject to law and public morality; and members of the assembly, 284 members
• wherein adequate safeguards shall be signed the official copies of the
provided for minorities, backward and Constitution.
tribal areas, and depressed and other • Some provisions of the Constitution
backward classes; and pertaining to citizenship, elections,
• whereby shall be maintained the integrity provisional parliament, temporary and
of the territory of the Republic and its transitional provisions, and short title
sovereign rights on land, sea and air contained in Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324,
according to justice and the law of civilized 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393
nations; and which came into force on November 26,
• This ancient land attains its rightful and 1949 itself.
honored place in the world and makes its The remaining provisions (the major part)
full and willing contribution to the of the Constitution came into force on
promotion of world peace and the welfare January 26, 1950.
of mankind.” • This day is referred to in the Constitution
This Resolution was unanimously adopted by as the ‘date of its commencement’ and
the Assembly on January 22, 1947. It influenced celebrated as the Republic Day.
the eventual shaping of the constitution • January 26 was specifically chosen as the
through all its subsequent stages. Its modified ‘date of commencement’ of the
version forms the Preamble of the present Constitution because of its historical
Constitution. importance. It was on this day in 1930, that
Purna Swaraj Day was celebrated,
Working of the Constituent Assembly: following the resolution of the Lahore
The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly Session (December 1929) of the INC.
took place on 9th December 1946 under the • With the commencement of the
leadership of Dr. Sachidanand Sinha. However, Constitution, the Indian Independence Act
he was only a temporary president and was of 1947 and the Government of India Act of
replaced by Dr, Rajendra Prasad and H.C. 1935, with all enactments amending or
Mukherjee as the permanent President and supplementing the latter Act, were
Vice President of the Constituent Assembly on repealed.
11th December 1946. Mr. B.N. Rau was
• The Constituent Assembly took 2 years, 11
appointed as the advisor of the Constituent
months and 18 days in making the
Assembly.
Constitution and the cost of making the
The Constituent Assembly presented three Constitution was approximately 64 lakhs.
drafts of the Constitution on

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• The Constitution of India is the longest Drafting Committee:

written Constitution in the history of the Amongst the different committees of the
world having a Preamble, 395 Articles, 22 Constituent Assembly, the most important was
Parts and 8Schedules although presently it the Drafting Committee, which was set up on
has around 465 Articles, 25 parts, 12 29th August 1947. The main aim of this
Schedules and more than 100 Amendment committee was the preparation of the draft of
• The nature of the Indian Constitution is the new Constitution. The drafting committee
Quasifederal i.e. more federal and less consisted of seven members.
unitary; during the normal circumstances it 1. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar (Father of the
is federal but during the proclamation of Constitution)
National Emergency under article 352 the 2. N. Gopalaswamy Ayyar
nature of the constitution becomes unitary 3. Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar
in nature 4. Syed Mohammad Saadullah
5. Dr. K.M Munshi
• Dr. B R Ambedkar played a major role in
6. N. Madhava Rau (replaced B.L Mitra)
the formation of the constitution and was
7. T.T Krishnamachari (replaced D.P. Khaitan)
the chairman of the drafting committee of
The Drafting Committee took less than six
the constitution. That is why he is also
months to prepare the draft. In all, it sat for the
known as the father of Indian Constitution
total of 141 days.
or “Modern Manu”.
Some Important Points:
Chairmans of the Important Committees 1. The Constitution was accepted on 26th
November 1949.
S. Name of the Chairman 2. The National Song was accepted on 24th
No. Committee January 1950.
1. Rules of Procedure Rajendra Prasad 3. The National Anthem was accepted on 24th
Committee January 1950.
2. Fundamental Rights, Vallabhbhai Patel 4. The National Flag was accepted on 22nd
Minorities July 1947.
5. Pingali Venkaiha from Andhra Pradesh was
3. Union Powers Jawaharlal Nehru the designer of the National Flag of India.
Committee 6. Elephant was the symbol of the
4. Union Constitution Jawaharlal Nehru Constituent Assembly of India.
Committee 7. Prem Bihari Raizada was the English
5. Drafting Committee B.R. Ambedkar Calligrapher of the Constitution.
8. Vasant Krishna Vaidya was the Hindi
6. Flag Committee J.B. Kriplani Calligrapher of the Constitution.

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