Constituent Assembly Making the Indian Constitution
The Constituent Assembly of India drafted and framed the Indian Constitution. In turn, the Constituent Assembly is established by the members of the provincial assemblies who the Indian citizens elect. Dr. Sachidanand Sinha was the first president of the Constituent Assembly. Later, he was presided over by Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
This was a simple gist of the Constituent Assembly. In this content, we will know about the Constitution; we will also know when did the constituent assembly adopt the constitution of India. Further, we will also discuss the composition of the Constituent Assembly, their contribution, and other such fascinating facts about this Assembly.
When Did the Constituent Assembly Adopt the Constitution of India?
The constituent assembly adopted the constitution of India on the 26th of November in the year 1949. Many honourable members appended their own signatures in the constitution on the same date that is on 26th of November 1949.
Who Was the President of the Indian Constituent Assembly?
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the president of the Indian Constituent Assembly. He was also the president in the inaugural meeting of the Constituent Assembly of India. So, for the question ‘Who presided over the inaugural meeting of the constituent assembly of India?’ The answer would be the same as Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the president while the vice president was Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, he was a Christian from West Bengal and he was the former vice-chancellor of the Calcutta University.
The Constituent Assembly of India – Constitution-Making Body
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When was the Constitution of India Adopted by the Constituent Assembly?
The constituent assembly adopted the constitution of India on the 26th of November in the year 1949; this is already discussed. Now, in the same context, we will be discussing in-depth the Indian constitution and its uniqueness.
The Cabinet Mission
The constitution of India was enacted by the constituent assembly in the year when the Constituent Assembly finally adopted the Indian Constitution. The Constituent Assembly of India is best defined as a sovereign body that is formed on the recommendations of the Cabinet Mission. The Cabinet Mission guides the function and framework of the Constituent Assembly.
When was the Assembly Constituted?
This Assembly was constituted on the 9th of December in the year 1946. This Constitution-making body was elected by the Provincial Legislative Assembly which constituted 389 members which included around 93 from the Princely States and approximately 296 members from British India.
Seats in the Constituent Assembly
The seats belonging to the British Indian provinces and the princely states were allotted in the proportion of their own respective population, which were to be divided among the Muslims, Sikhs, and rest of the communities. All the sections of the Indian society got their individual representation in the Constituent Assembly regardless of the fact that seats were limited.
First Meeting of the Constituent Assembly
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The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly was conducted on the 9th of December in the year 1946 in New Delhi. Dr. Sachidanand was the interim President at this time. This time was on December 11, in the year 1946, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was being elected as the President, and the vice-president was H.C. Mukherjee; they were elected in the Constituent Assembly.
Functions of the Constituent Assembly
The functions of the Constituent Assembly were:
Framing of the Constitution.
Enacting the laws which involve the decision-making process.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the National flag on the 22nd of July in the year 1947.
The Assembly accepted and approved India's membership of the British Commonwealth in May in the year 1949.
They elected Dr. Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India on the 24th of January in the year 1950.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the National anthem on the 24th of January in the year 1950.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the National song in the month of January 24, 1950.
Describe the Composition and Contribution of the Constituent Assembly of India
The Constituent Assembly appointed the eight major committees that are mentioned as below:
Union Powers Committee
Union Constitution Committee
Provincial Constitution Committee
Drafting Committee
Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities
Rules of Procedure Committee
States Committee
Jawaharlal Nehru Steering Committee
The most significant of these committees was the Drafting Committee. On the 29th of August in the year 1947, the Drafting Committee was set up under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. The committee here prepares the Draft Constitution for India.
Critics faced by the Constituent Assembly
These were the following grounds on which the Constituent Assembly was criticised:
This is not a Popular body:
It was upheld that the members of the Constituent Assembly were not directly elected members by the people of India. The Preamble states that the people of India adopt the Constitution, but on the contrary, it was adopted by a few of these individuals who were not even the elected members of the people.
Not a Sovereign body:
The critics even stated that the Constituent Assembly was not a sovereign body as it was not created by the people of India. It was said that the Constitution was created by the proposals of the British rulers. As its composition was pre-independence hence was directed by the Britishers.
Time-consuming Process:
The critics mentioned the time that was taken to prepare the Constitution. In India, much longer time was required as compared to the other nations.
Dominated by Congress:
The critics also continued to argue that the Congress, which was the part of the Constituent Assembly, was quite dominating, and they imposed their own thinking on the people of the country. They imposed their thought process by drafting this Constitution.
Dominated by the Hindus:
According to few critics, the Constituent Assembly did not include the consideration of all the religions. It was mainly dominated by the Hindus.
Dominated by Lawyers:
The Critics also said that the Constitution was quite bulky and cumbersome as the lawyers in the Constituent Assembly dominated it.
They have made the language of the Constitution very difficult for a layman to interpret. Backward sections of the society couldn't even voice their own concerns and they were unable to participate in the decision-making process during the time of the drafting of this Constitution.
Did You Know?
Mentioned below are some rarely known facts of the Constituent Assembly of India.
Acharya J B Kripalani was the first person to address the Constituent Assembly. Kripalani represented the United Province of the Constituent Assembly. It was him, on whose request Dr. Sachidananda Sinha took his chair and invited him to be the provisional Chairman of this Constituent Assembly.
B.N. Rau served as the Constitutional Adviser of the Constituent Assembly. B.N. Rau was also the first Indian permanent judge in the international court of justice (from the year 1951 to 52).
S. N. Mukherjee was the main Draftsman of the Constitution who had put the usage of complex proposals in the legal language.
Constituent Assembly took approximately 165 days in 11 sessions in order to prepare the Constitution of India. Out of which a total of 165 days were convened by the Constituent Assembly, the rest 114 days were spent on the consideration to make the Draft of the Constitution.
D.R. B.R. Ambedkar is known as ‘the architect of Indian Constitution
The makers of the Constitution went through the constitutions of almost 60 countries and borrowed a few necessary provisions from them.
The Constituent Assembly adopted the Devanagari script. They wrote Hindi in this official language. Hence, every year Hindi Divas is celebrated on the 14th of September in honour of this adoption.
G. V. Mavlankar was the first speaker of the assembly. Later he became the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha when it came into power in the year 1952. Jawaharlal Nehru described G.V Mavlankar as the ‘Father of Lok Sabha’.
The total expenditure that was expensed on the making of the Constitution was Rs 64 lakhs.
The front cover which you see of the Indian Constitution, was designed by the popular Bengali painter named Nandalal Bose.
The original Constitution was actually handwritten and was calligraphed by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.
The original Constitution of India is sealed in a special helium-filled case in the Library of the Parliament of India.
FAQs on Constituent Assembly of India
1. How many members were there in the Constituent Assembly?
The total members present in the Constituent Assembly was around 389, out of the 292 were the representatives of the provinces; among these, 93 represented the princely states, and four of them were the chief commissioner provinces from Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg, and British Baluchistan.
2. Who was the head of the Cabinet mission?
The Cabinet Mission was formulated by Clement Attlee, who initiated this mission. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, named Lord Pethick-Lawrence, was the head. He was also the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A.V. Alexander was the First Lord of the Admiralty.
