Making of the Indian Constitution

Making of the Constitution of India

• The Indian Constitution's journey began with historical foundations and gained momentum with the Cabinet Mission's arrival in 1946.
• Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of British India, oversaw the arrival of the Cabinet Mission.
• The Cabinet Mission consisted of three members responsible for drafting India's Constitution.
• The Cabinet Mission's members included Stafford Cripps, Pethick-Lawrence, and Alexander, remembered by the mnemonic "SPA."
• The Constituent Assembly was established in November 1946, following the Cabinet Mission's arrival.
• The Constituent Assembly was responsible for framing the Indian Constitution.

Constituent Assembly Meetings

• The Constituent Assembly's first meeting occurred on December 9, 1946, led by Sachchidananda Sinha.
• A permanent President/head had yet to be assigned at the time of the first meeting.
• The second meeting on December 11, 1946, resulted in the selection of the President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, and Vice President, H.C. Mukherjee.
• Sir B.N. Rau served as the Constitutional Advisor, offering legal and constitutional expertise.
• M.N. Roy initially proposed the idea of a Constitution in 1934.
• It's important to differentiate between Sir B.N. Rau (Constitutional Advisor) and M.N. Roy (proposed constitution) to avoid confusion.

Composition and Structure of the Constituent Assembly

• The Constituent Assembly had a total of 389 members.
• The 389 seats divided into 296 for British India and 93 for Princely States.
• The Princely States did not participate, thus their seats remained unfilled.
• The 296 seats for British India were further divided into 292 for British Provinces and 4 for Chief Commissioner Provinces.
• Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg, and British Baluchistan were the four Chief Commissioner Provinces.
• Seats were allocated in proportion to each 10 million population.
• Seats were distributed among Muslims, Sikhs, and General category representatives to ensure representation for different communities.
• The Single Transferable Vote system was the voting method used in the Constituent Assembly.

Time and Objectives

• The Constitution took 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days to finalize.
• The Objective Resolution was passed in the Constituent Assembly on December 13, 1946, by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

Additional Functions and Key Dates

• The Constituent Assembly performed various functions, including adopting the National Flag, National Anthem, and National Song.
• The National Flag was adopted on July 22, 1947.
• The National Anthem and National Song were adopted on January 24, 1950.
• The Constitution was passed on November 26, 1949.
• The Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950.
• November 26, 1949, and January 26, 1950, are two crucial dates in the timeline
• The Constituent Assembly's last session occurred on January 24, 1950, with Dr. Rajendra Prasad as President.
• The total expenditure for making the Constitution was ₹63,96,729.

Comparison: Constitution in 1950 vs Now

• The Constitution's structure and content in 1950 are compared with its current form to highlight changes.
• In 1950, the Constitution had 22 parts, compared to the current 25 parts.
• The Constitution originally had 395 articles, which has now increased to 465.
• The Constitution had 8 schedules at its creation, and there are now 12.
• The Constitution came into force on January 26, 1950.
• January 26 was chosen as the day to bring the constitution into force because on the same day in 1929 the idea of "Purna Swaraj" was passed in Lahore session.