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    Constituent Assembly of India Indian Polity Notes

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    Constituent Assembly of India Indian Polity Notes

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    Constituent Assembly of India Indian Polity Notes

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    UPSC Civil Services Examination

    Topic: Constituent Assembly of India – UPSC Indian Polity Notes

    Background of the Constituent Assembly of India

    The following table lists the trail of the development of the constituent assembly of India:

    Constituent Assembly of India - Background


     In 1934, M N Roy first proposed the idea of a constituent assembly.

     The demand was taken up by the Congress Party in 1935 as an official demand

     The British accepted this in the August Offer of 1940

     Under the Cabinet Mission plan of 1946, elections were held for the formation of the constituent assembly

     The members of this assembly were elected indirectly, i.e., by the members of the provincial assemblies by
    the method of a single transferable vote of proportional representation

     The constituent assembly was formed for the purpose of writing a constitution for independent India

    Composition of Constituent Assembly


     Initially, the number of members was 389. After partition, some of the members went to Pakistan and the
    number came down to 299. Out of this, 229 were from the British provinces and 70 were nominated from the
    princely states.
     Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the first temporary chairman of the Constituent Assembly. Later, Dr. Rajendra
    Prasad was elected as the President and its Vice President was Harendra Coomar Mookerjee. BN Rau was the
    constitutional advisor.

    Key Facts Related to the Constituent Assembly of India for IAS Exam

    Constituent Assembly of India - Key Facts for UPSC Exam


    When did the constituent
    The assembly first met on 9 December 1946
    assembly first meet?
    Was there any role of the
    Muslim League in the No, there no role played by the Muslim League in the constituent assembly as it
    formation of the Constitution had boycotted this meeting citing their demand for partition
    of India
    What is ‘Objective Objective Resolution enshrined the aspirations and values of the constitution-
    Resolution’ concerned with makers. Under this, the people of India were guaranteed social, economic and
    the constituent assembly of political justice, equality and fundamental freedoms. This resolution was
    India? unanimously adopted on 22 January 1947 and it became the Preamble to the
    Constitution
    When was Objective
    Resolution moved and by On 13 December, Jawaharlal Nehru moved the ‘Objective Resolution’.
    who?
    When was National Flag of
    The National Flag of the Union was adopted on 2 July 1947
    Union adopted?
    For how many days, the
    constituent assembly The time is taken by the assembly to frame the constitution: 2 years, 11 months
    assembled to frame the and 18 days. Money spent in framing the constitution: Rs.64 lakhs
    constitution?
    When was Jana Gana Mana
    adopted as our national On 24 January 1950, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was adopted as the national anthem
    anthem?
    How many articles our final
    The final document had 22 parts, 395 articles and 8 schedules.
    constitution has?
    What was the total number
    of sessions constituent The assembly had met for 11 sessions
    assembly had?
    When was the draft of the
    The draft was published in January 1948 and the country’s people were asked for
    Indian Constitution
    their feedback and inputs within 8 months
    published?
    What is the date of the last The last session was held during 14 – 26 November 1949. The constitution was
    session? passed and adopted by the assembly on 26 November 1949
    When did the constitution of The constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 (which is celebrated as
    India come into force? Republic Day)

    Committees of Constituent Assembly of India with their Chairmen

    There were eight committees, mentioned below:

    Committees of Constituent Assembly of India


    Drafting Committee Dr. B R Ambedkar
    Union Constitution Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
    Union Powers Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
    States Committee Jawaharlal Nehru
    Steering Committee Dr. Rajendra Prasad
    Rules of Procedure Committee Dr. Rajendra Prasad
    Provincial Constitution Committee Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
     Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee: Acharya
    Kripalani
     Minorities Sub-Committee: H C Mookerjee
    Advisory Committee on Fundamental  Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than
    Rights, Minorities and Tribal and those in Assam) Sub-Committee: A V Thakkar
    Excluded Areas:  North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam
    Excluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-
    Committee: Gopinath Bardoloi
    Criticism of the Constituent Assembly

     It was not a representative body since the members were not directly elected by adult franchise.
    However, the leaders did enjoy popular support from the people. Direct elections by the universal
    adult franchise at that time when the country was on the brink of partition and amidst communal
    riots would have been impractical.
     It is said that the makers took a long time in framing the constitution. However, keeping in mind the
    complexity and the peculiarities of the diverse and large Indian nation, this can be understood.
     The constituent assembly was not a sovereign body since it was created by the British. However, it
    worked as a fully independent and sovereign body.
     The language of the constitution was criticised for being literary and complicated.
     The assembly was dominated by the Congress Party. But the party dominated the provincial
    assemblies and this was natural. Moreover, it was a heterogeneous party with members from almost
    all sections of Indian society.
     It was alleged that the assembly had Hindu dominance. This was again because of proportional
    representation from communities.

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