The Constitution of India was framed by the Constituent Assembly of India through a long process of constitutional deliberation, committee work, drafting, debate, amendment and adoption.
The process began with the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly on:
9 December 1946
and culminated in the Constitution coming into force on:
26 January 1950
The Constitution was adopted on:
26 November 1949
The constitution-making process took:
2 years, 11 months and 18 days
The idea that Indians should frame their own Constitution developed during the freedom movement.
M.N. Roy is associated with the early advocacy of the idea of a:
Constituent Assembly
in 1934.
The demand subsequently became an important part of the Indian national movement.
The Indian National Congress supported the principle that India's Constitution should be framed by representatives of the Indian people.
The August Offer recognised the principle that Indians would have a role in determining their future constitutional arrangements.
However, it did not establish the Constituent Assembly demanded by Indian nationalists.
The Cripps Mission proposed a constitution-making body after the Second World War.
The proposals were rejected by the major Indian political organisations for different reasons.
The:
Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946
finally provided the framework for establishing the Constituent Assembly.
The Cabinet Mission consisted of:
The original strength of the Constituent Assembly was:
389 members
It consisted of:
296 representatives
93 representatives
Representatives from British Indian provinces were:
Indirectly elected
by the members of the provincial legislative assemblies.
The election used:
Proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote
Representatives of princely states were:
Nominated by their rulers
Therefore, the Constituent Assembly was not directly elected through universal adult franchise.
The Partition of India changed the composition of the Assembly.
Representatives from areas that became part of Pakistan left the Indian Constituent Assembly.
The strength of the Indian Constituent Assembly became:
299 members
This consisted of:
The Constituent Assembly held its first meeting on:
9 December 1946
The first sitting was presided over by:
Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha
as the temporary Chairman.
On:
11 December 1946
the Assembly elected:
Dr. Rajendra Prasad
as its permanent President.
Rajendra Prasad → President of Constituent Assembly
The Assembly elected:
H.C. Mookherjee
as Vice-President.
He assisted the President in conducting Assembly proceedings.
The Constituent Assembly appointed:
B.N. Rau
as its:
Constitutional Adviser
His role included:
B.N. Rau → Constitutional Adviser
B.R. Ambedkar → Chairman of Drafting Committee
Jawaharlal Nehru moved the:
Objectives Resolution
on:
13 December 1946
It expressed the broad philosophy and objectives of the future Constitution.
It emphasised ideas such as:
The Objectives Resolution was adopted on:
22 January 1947
It became an important philosophical foundation for the:
Preamble
The Constituent Assembly divided complex constitutional questions among specialised committees.
Important committees included:
Chairman:
Jawaharlal Nehru
Chairman:
Jawaharlal Nehru
Chairman:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Chairman:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
It dealt with:
Chairman:
J.B. Kripalani
Chairman:
H.C. Mookherjee
Chairman:
Gopinath Bordoloi
Chairman:
B.R. Ambedkar
The Drafting Committee was constituted on:
29 August 1947
It originally consisted of seven members.
B.L. Mitter → N. Madhava Rau
D.P. Khaitan → T.T. Krishnamachari
The Drafting Committee:
Its central function was:
Legal drafting and consolidation
B.R. Ambedkar, as Chairman of the Drafting Committee, played a central role in:
He is widely described as the:
Chief architect of the Indian Constitution
However, the Constitution was ultimately a collective product of the Constituent Assembly and its committees.
Nehru contributed primarily to the:
Political and philosophical direction
of the Constitution.
Major associations:
Nehru → Objectives Resolution + Union constitutional structure
Patel played a major role in:
Major committee associations:
Advisory Committee
Provincial Constitution Committee
Patel → Integration + Advisory Committee + Provincial Constitution Committee
Rajendra Prasad served as:
President of the Constituent Assembly
His principal role was institutional and procedural.
He:
He later became:
The first President of India
B.N. Rau served as:
Constitutional Adviser
He:
Rau → Constitutional Adviser
Ambedkar → Drafting Committee Chairman
The Draft Constitution was published in:
February 1948
It was circulated for:
The Drafting Committee considered the feedback and revised the draft.
B.R. Ambedkar introduced the Draft Constitution in the Constituent Assembly on:
4 November 1948
The Assembly then began its detailed consideration.
The Draft Constitution underwent three broad stages of consideration.
General discussion of the Draft Constitution.
Detailed consideration of individual provisions and amendments.
Final discussion and approval.
The second reading involved extensive clause-by-clause debate.
The Assembly debated numerous major issues.
Important debates included:
The Constitution was therefore the result of:
Debate + negotiation + compromise
The Assembly ultimately chose:
Parliamentary government
rather than a presidential system.
Important features included:
The Constitution adopted a:
Federal structure with a strong Union
The framers considered a strong Union important because of:
The Assembly incorporated Fundamental Rights into:
Part III
They protect areas including:
The Assembly rejected separate electorates as a general mechanism but protected minorities through:
One of the most significant decisions was to introduce:
Universal adult franchise
from the beginning of the Republic.
The original voting age was:
21 years
It was later reduced to:
18 years
by the 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988.
The Constitution provided:
Hindi in Devanagari script
as the official language of the Union.
English was also allowed to continue for official purposes.
The language settlement reflected a compromise between:
National linguistic aspirations
and:
Administrative practicality
The framers recognised that political democracy required social and economic transformation.
This was reflected through:
Protection against arbitrary State action and discrimination.
Goals relating to:
The Assembly had several limitations.
It was not directly elected by universal adult franchise.
The provincial legislatures that elected members were themselves elected on a restricted franchise.
Congress had a dominant position.
Representatives of princely states were nominated by rulers.
Women, workers, peasants and some marginalised groups were not represented proportionately.
Partition affected the Assembly's composition and constitutional priorities.
Despite these limitations, the Assembly had substantial:
It also established universal adult franchise in the Constitution itself.
Therefore, it should neither be described as completely representative by modern democratic standards nor dismissed as illegitimate.
The framers studied constitutional systems from:
The:
Government of India Act, 1935
was also an important institutional source.
The framers generally:
Studied → Selected → Adapted → Integrated
rather than simply copied.
The Constituent Assembly took:
2 years, 11 months and 18 days
to complete the constitution-making process.
It held:
11 sessions
and sat for approximately:
165 days
Approximately:
114 days
were spent considering the Draft Constitution.
Approximately:
7,635 amendments
were tabled.
Approximately:
2,473 amendments
were moved and discussed.
These figures illustrate the extensive deliberative process.
At adoption, the Constitution contained:
395 Articles
22 Parts
8 Schedules
These are important original-Constitution figures for UPSC Prelims.
The Constitution was adopted on:
26 November 1949
This date is observed as:
Constitution Day
Members of the Constituent Assembly signed the Constitution on:
24 January 1950
The final sitting of the Constituent Assembly was also held on this date.
The Constitution came into force on:
26 January 1950
The date was chosen because of its association with:
Purna Swaraj
and the observance of 26 January 1930 as the nationalist Independence Day.
This is one of the highest-value Prelims distinctions.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Constitution adopted | 26 November 1949 |
| Constitution signed | 24 January 1950 |
| Constitution commenced | 26 January 1950 |
Adopt → Sign → Start
26 Nov → 24 Jan → 26 Jan
Article 394 provided for certain provisions to come into force immediately upon adoption.
Therefore, although the Constitution generally commenced on:
26 January 1950
not every provision necessarily waited until that date.
This is an important constitutional nuance.
After independence, the Constituent Assembly also functioned as the:
Legislature of independent India
Thus it had a:
and a:
These functions continued until the new constitutional parliamentary system was established.
Memorise this sequence:
9 Dec 1946
→ First meeting
11 Dec 1946
→ Rajendra Prasad elected President
13 Dec 1946
→ Objectives Resolution moved
22 Jan 1947
→ Objectives Resolution adopted
15 Aug 1947
→ Independence
29 Aug 1947
→ Drafting Committee constituted
Feb 1948
→ Draft Constitution published
4 Nov 1948
→ Draft Constitution introduced
26 Nov 1949
→ Constitution adopted
24 Jan 1950
→ Constitution signed
26 Jan 1950
→ Constitution commenced
M.N. Roy
→ Early advocate of Constituent Assembly
Sachchidananda Sinha
→ Temporary Chairman
Rajendra Prasad
→ President of Constituent Assembly
Nehru
→ Objectives Resolution + Union Powers + Union Constitution
Patel
→ Advisory Committee + Provincial Constitution + Integration
B.N. Rau
→ Constitutional Adviser
Ambedkar
→ Drafting Committee Chairman
J.B. Kripalani
→ Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee
H.C. Mookherjee
→ Minorities Sub-Committee
Gopinath Bordoloi
→ Assam Tribal Areas Sub-Committee
Union Powers Committee
→ Jawaharlal Nehru
Union Constitution Committee
→ Jawaharlal Nehru
Provincial Constitution Committee
→ Sardar Patel
Advisory Committee
→ Sardar Patel
Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee
→ J.B. Kripalani
Minorities Sub-Committee
→ H.C. Mookherjee
Assam Tribal Areas Sub-Committee
→ Gopinath Bordoloi
Drafting Committee
→ B.R. Ambedkar
| Fact | Number |
|---|---|
| Original Constituent Assembly | 389 |
| Assembly after Partition | 299 |
| Original Drafting Committee | 7 members |
| Sessions | 11 |
| Sitting days | 165 |
| Days considering Draft Constitution | 114 |
| Constitution-making period | 2 years, 11 months, 18 days |
| Original Articles | 395 |
| Original Parts | 22 |
| Original Schedules | 8 |
| Amendments tabled | 7,635 |
| Amendments moved/discussed | 2,473 |
First meeting → 9 December 1946
Sachchidananda Sinha
Rajendra Prasad
B.N. Rau
B.R. Ambedkar
Moved → 13 December 1946
Adopted → 22 January 1947
29 August 1947
4 November 1948
26 November 1949
24 January 1950
26 January 1950
"The Constituent Assembly was directly elected by the people."
Incorrect
It was largely indirectly elected.
"The original Constituent Assembly had 299 members."
Incorrect
Original:
389
After Partition:
299
"Princely-state representatives were directly elected."
Incorrect
They were nominated by rulers.
"Rajendra Prasad was temporary Chairman."
Incorrect
Sachchidananda Sinha was temporary Chairman.
"B.N. Rau chaired the Drafting Committee."
Incorrect
B.R. Ambedkar chaired it.
"Ambedkar alone wrote the Constitution."
Incorrect
The Constitution was a collective product.
"Objectives Resolution was adopted on 13 December 1946."
Incorrect
It was moved on 13 December 1946 and adopted on 22 January 1947.
"The Constitution was adopted on 26 January 1950."
Incorrect
It was adopted on 26 November 1949.
"The Constitution came into force on 26 November 1949."
Incorrect
It generally came into force on 26 January 1950.
"The original voting age was 18."
Incorrect
It was originally 21 and was reduced to 18 by the 61st Amendment.
Demand for Constituent Assembly
↓
August Offer, 1940
↓
Cripps Proposals, 1942
↓
Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946
↓
Constituent Assembly — 389
↓
First meeting — 9 Dec 1946
↓
Rajendra Prasad elected President
↓
Objectives Resolution
↓
Specialised Committees
↓
Independence + Partition
↓
Assembly reconstituted — 299
↓
Drafting Committee — 29 Aug 1947
↓
B.N. Rau's constitutional work
↓
Draft Constitution — February 1948
↓
Public feedback
↓
Draft introduced — 4 Nov 1948
↓
Three readings + amendments + debates
↓
Constitution adopted — 26 Nov 1949
↓
Signed — 24 Jan 1950
↓
Commenced — 26 Jan 1950
"Discuss the making of the Indian Constitution and examine the democratic legitimacy of the Constituent Assembly."
The Indian Constitution was framed by the Constituent Assembly between December 1946 and November 1949 through an extensive process of committee work, deliberation, drafting and amendment.
The Constituent Assembly had limitations in electoral representativeness, but its extensive deliberation, constitutional expertise, political negotiation and connection with the freedom movement gave the Constitution substantial historical and deliberative legitimacy.
Cabinet Mission Plan, 1946
389 → Original
299 → After Partition
Indirect election
Princely states → Nomination
Sachchidananda Sinha → Temporary Chairman
Rajendra Prasad → President
B.N. Rau → Constitutional Adviser
Ambedkar → Drafting Committee
Nehru → Objectives Resolution
Moved → 13 Dec 1946
Adopted → 22 Jan 1947
Nehru → Union Powers + Union Constitution
Patel → Provincial Constitution + Advisory
Kripalani → Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee
Mookherjee → Minorities Sub-Committee
Bordoloi → Assam Tribal Areas
Ambedkar → Drafting Committee
29 Aug 1947 → Drafting Committee
Feb 1948 → Draft published
4 Nov 1948 → Draft introduced
7,635 → Amendments tabled
2,473 → Amendments moved/discussed
26 Nov 1949 → Adopted
24 Jan 1950 → Signed
26 Jan 1950 → Came into force
395 Articles
22 Parts
8 Schedules
389
Original Assembly
↓
299
After Partition
↓
7
Original Drafting Committee members
↓
11
Assembly sessions
↓
395
Original Articles
9 → 11 → 13 → 22 → 29 → 4 → 26 → 24 → 26
9 Dec 1946
First meeting
11 Dec 1946
Rajendra Prasad
13 Dec 1946
Objectives Resolution moved
22 Jan 1947
Objectives Resolution adopted
29 Aug 1947
Drafting Committee
4 Nov 1948
Draft introduced
26 Nov 1949
Adopted
24 Jan 1950
Signed
26 Jan 1950
Commenced
The Indian Constitution was made through a representative but indirectly elected Constituent Assembly, extensive committee work, constitutional research, drafting, public scrutiny, prolonged debate and political compromise, culminating in adoption on 26 November 1949 and commencement on 26 January 1950.
