abinash phulkonwar

2025-01-09

Constitutional Assembly

Constituted under the Cabinet Mission Plan in 1946. Its members were elected by indirect election by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies under the Government of India Act, 1935

389 members in total (292- British Provinces;  93 - princely states; 4 from the chief commissioner provinces) After partition, 299 members.

  1. First meeting was 9 December 1946
  2. Last Meeting was 24 January, 1950; the signing day
  3. Adopted on 26 November 1949 and implemented on 26 January 1950
  4. 11 sessions; two years, eleven months and seventeen days
  5. Provisional: Dr. Sachchidanand Sinha 
  6. Permanent: Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Committies

B. R. Ambedkar

  1. Drafting Committee

Jawaharlal Nehru

  1. Union Power Committee
  2. Union Constitution Committee

Vallabhbhai Patel

  1. Provincial Constitution Committee
  2. Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas

Rajendra Prasad

  1. Steering Committee

K M Munshi

  1. Order of Business Committee

The Oligarchy (by Granvile Austin): Nehru, Azad, Rajendra Prasad, Patel

Objectives of the Resolution

Jawaharlal Nehru introduced these resolutions on December 13, 1946, and the assembly adopted these resolutions on January 22, 1947. 

Guiding principles for building the Constitution and eventually took the shape of the Preamble to the Indian Constitution.

Quotes

Ambedkar

  1. Article 356 is like ‘safety valve’ and would remain a dead letter
  2. Article 32 is the heart and soul of the Constitution
  3. “If things go wrong in the new Constitution, the reason will not be that we had a bad Constitution, what we will have to say that Man was vile”
  4. “Constitutional morality must be held higher than public morality”

 Granville Austin

  1. Indian constitution as a ‘seamless web’
  2. Indian Constitution as a social Document

Paul Brass

  1.  ‘India’s Constitution was born more in fear and trepidation than in hope and inspiration’

Ivor Jennings

  1. “ But in the long run, it would be in interest of all to forget that there is anything like majority or minority in this country and that in India there is only one community…”- Patel Directive Principles of State Policy are like “pious aspirations”