Indian Constitution Making Process

Overview

This lecture focused on the process of making the Indian Constitution, the role of the Constituent Assembly, major committees, and important dates related to the Constitution.

Demand and Formation of the Constituent Assembly

• The demand for the Constituent Assembly was first made by M.N. Roy in 1934.
• In 1935 Congress, in 1936 Nehru, and in 1940 the August Offer came.
• The British government sent the August Offer (1940), Cripps Mission (1942), and finally the Cabinet Mission (1946).
• The Cabinet Mission Plan was accepted, according to which a 389-member Constituent Assembly was formed.
• The assembly was partly elected and partly nominated; elections were indirect.
• After the Muslim League boycott and the partition of the country, the seats were reduced to 299.

Major Committees of the Constituent Assembly

• The assembly had a total of 8 main and 13 (or 14) sub-committees.
• Committees with the words ‘Union’ or ‘States’ in their names were chaired by Nehru.
• Permanent Chairman was Dr. Rajendra Prasad, temporary chairman Dr. Sachidanand Sinha.
• Vice-chairmen were H.C. Mukherjee and V.T. Krishnamachari.
• The most important was the “Drafting Committee,” chaired by Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, consisting of 7 members.
• Other notable committees: Rules of Procedure (Rajendra Prasad), Order of Business (K.M. Munshi), Credentials Committee (G.V. Mavalankar).

Constitution Making Process

• The first meeting was held on December 9, 1946; the objective resolution was presented by Nehru.
• The Constituent Assembly prepared the Constitution in 2 years, 11 months, and 17 days.
• The first draft was published on February 21, 1948, and 8 months were given for public opinion.
• The Constitution had three readings (discussions)—first: November 4-9, 1948, second: November 15, 1948 - October 17, 1949, third: November 14-26, 1949.

Constitution Adoption and Implementation

• The Constitution was approved on November 26, 1949 (Constitution Day) and came into effect on January 26, 1950 (Republic Day).
• Initially, the Constitution had 395 articles, 8 schedules, and 22 parts.
• January 26 was chosen because the first Independence Day was celebrated on this day in 1930.

Other Important Facts

• The decoration of the Constitution was done by Nandalal Bose, writing by Prem Bihari Narayan Raizada.
• There were a total of 15 female members in the Constituent Assembly.
• On January 24, 1950, the national anthem was adopted and Rajendra Prasad was elected the first President.
• Dr. B.N. Rau was the legal advisor and H.V.R. Iyengar was the secretary.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Constituent Assembly — The assembly that made the Constitution of India.
• August Offer — Proposal given by the British government in 1940.
• Cripps Mission — Constitutional reform proposal of 1942.
• Cabinet Mission — Proposal in 1946 to give India a Constituent Assembly.
• Drafting Committee — Committee that prepared the draft of the Constitution.
• Purna Swaraj — Demand for complete independence.
• Dominion Status — Limited self-governance under the British Empire.
• Objective Resolution — The objective proposal of the Constituent Assembly.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Remember the main committees of the Constituent Assembly and their chairpersons.
• Memorize the key dates of the Constitution making process.
• Study the roles of Dr. Ambedkar and other key members.