Laxmikanth Test: Making of the Constitution- 2 - UPSC

The elephant was adopted as the symbol of the Constituent Assembly. Thus, its figurine was carved on the seal of the assembly.

• On August 29, 1947, the Drafting Committee of the Indian constitution was set up and Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was appointed its chairman. B.R. Ambedkar was also the first Law Minister of India.
• The symbol (seal) of the Constituent Assembly - The Elephant.
• The Constitutional advisor (Legal advisor) to the Constituent Assembly-Sir B.N. Rau.
• The first elected president of The Constituent Assembly- ​Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
• First interim chairman of the Constituent Assembly- Sachchidananda Sinha.
• Sachchidananda Sinha took charge on 9 Dec 1946 but resigned on 11 Dec 1946 as Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the first chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
• The Secretary to the Constituent Assembly- H.V.R. Iyengar.
• The chief draftsman of the constitution in the Constituent Assembly- S.N. Mukerjee.
• The original Preamble was illuminated, beautified, and ornamented by Beohar Rammanohar Sinha.
• Prem Behari Narain Raizada calligraphed the original Preamble.

B.R. Ambedkar is considered to be the Chief architect of the Constitution of India. He was a prominent Indian jurist, economist, politician, and social reformer who served as the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. He is credited with playing a key role in drafting the Constitution of India, which was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950. Ambedkar's contribution to the drafting of the Constitution is widely recognized, and he is often referred to as the Father of the Indian Constitution.

Dr Sachchidanand Sinha was elected as the temporary/interim President of the Assembly. Later, Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected as the President of the Assembly. H.C. Mukherjee and V.T. Krishnamachari were elected as the Vice-Presidents of the Assembly.

Important Points

• The Constituent Assembly was set up on 6^th December 1946.
• The Constitution of India was officially framed by the Constituent Assembly.
• The Indian National Congress made the demand a Constituent Assembly in 1934.
• The first official meeting of the Constituent Assembly was held on 9^th December 1946.
  • The first meeting was conducted with 207 members including 9 women.

Key Points

• Sachidananda Sinha was appointed as the temporary chairman during its first meeting.
  • He was a member of the Imperial Legislative Council from 1910 to 1920.
  • He was appointed as the Deputy President of the Indian Legislative Assembly in 1921.
  • Notable works:
    • Some Eminent Indian Contemporaries.
    • Iqbal: The Poet and His Message.

Additional Information

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent president of the Constituent Assembly on 11^th December 1946.
• The Constituent Assembly also appointed H C Mukherjee as its Vice President.
• The Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly was B. N Rao.
• The Constituent Assembly adopted the Indian Constitution on 26^th November 1949.
• B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.
• G. V. Mavlankar was the first speaker of the Lok Sabha

Explanation : Holding the office of Joint Secretary, Surendra Nath Mukherjee played the all-important role of Chief Draftsman of the Constituent Assembly of India for drafting India’s Constitution.

The drafting committee was formed under the chairmanship of Dr B R Ambedkar by the Constituent Assembly on 29th August 1947. S. N Mukherjee was the chief draftsman of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly. 

Few other members of the drafting committee include N Goppalaswamy Ayyangar, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, Dr K M Munshi, Syed Mohammed Saadullah, N Madhava Rau, and T T Krishnamachari.

B.N. Rau was appointed as the constitutional advisor (Legal advisor) to the Constituent Assembly. Dr B R Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly while Dr K M Munshi and N Madhava Rau were members of the Drafting Committee.

Key Points

• In formulating the Indian Constitution in 1946, Dr. B.N. Rau was appointed Constitutional Adviser to the Constituent Assembly.
• He was responsible for the general structure of its democratic framework of the Constitution and prepared its initial draft in February 1948.
• This plan was debated, amended and eventually approved by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949.
• Resolution of the Constituent Assembly forming the Drafting Committee on 29 August 1947, under the chairmanship of B.R. Ambedkar.
• The Indian Constituent Assembly was chosen to draft the Constitution of India.
• Following India's independence from the British Government in 1947, its members acted as the first parliament of the country.
• In 1934, the Constituent Assembly was proposed by M. N. Roy, a hero of the Communist revolution in India and a proponent of social democracy.
• In 1935, it became the official demand of the Indian National Congress.
• On 15 November 1939, Rajagopalachari asked for an Adult Franchise Constituent Assembly, which was approved by the British in August 1940.

Important Points

• Koka Subba Rao was the ninth Chief Justice of India (1966-1967).
  • He has served as Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh.
• Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi was an Indian independence movement activist, politician, writer and educator from Gujarat.
  • A lawyer by profession, he later turned to a writer and politician.
  • It is a well-known name in Gujarati literature.
  • In 1938, he founded Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, an educational trust.
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the first President of India to serve from 1950 to 1962.

The 'Objective Resolution' which laid down the fundamentals and philosophy of the constitutional structure which read as:

(i)    “This Constituent Assembly declares its firm and solemn resolve to proclaim India as an Independent Sovereign Republic and to draw up for her future governance a Constitution:

(ii)    Wherein the territories that now comprise British India, the territories that now form the Indian States, and such other parts of India as are outside India and the States as well as other territories as are willing to be constituted into the independent sovereign India, shall be a Union of them all; and

(iii)    Wherein the said territories, whether with their present boundaries or with such others as may be determined by the Constituent Assembly and thereafter according to the law of the

(iv)    Constitution, shall possess and retain the status of autonomous units together with residuary powers and exercise all powers and functions of Government and administration save and except such powers and functions as are vested in or assigned to the Union or as are inherent or implied in the Union or resulting there from; and

(v)    Wherein all power and authority of the Sovereign Independent India, its constituent parts and organs of Government are derived from the people; and

(vi)    wherein shall be guaranteed and secured to all the people of India justice, social, economic and political; equality of status of opportunity, and before the law; freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation, association and action, subject to law and public morality; and

(vii)    Wherein adequate safeguards shall be provided for minorities, backward and tribal areas, and depressed and other backward classes; and

(viii)    Whereby shall be maintained the integrity of the territory of the Republic and its sovereign rights on land, sea and air according to justice and the law of civilized nations; and

(ix)    This ancient land attains its rightful and honoured place in the world and makes its full and willing contribution to the promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.”

The idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by M. N. Roy, a pioneer of the communist movement in India, in 1934.

M.N.Roy

• He was a founder of the communist party of India, founded year- 1925
• In 1934 the idea of a Constituent Assembly for India was put forward for the first time by M. N. Roy, a pioneer of the communist movement in India and an advocate of radical Democratism.
• Books- The Historical Role of Islam.

Sardar Patel

• Born - 31 October 1875,Nadiad,Gujrat
• He is called Iron Man of India, Bismark of India for his role in unifying the fragments of princely states into a one unit
• He was played an active role in Bardoli Satyagrah,1928.
• Mahatama Gandhi gave the title of Sardar.
• He was the president of the INC session held at Karachi (1931).
• He was the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Independent India.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

• Born - 3 December 1884, Zerabadi, Siwan in Bihar.
• He was the president of the INC session Held at Bomby (1934) and 1939 (Tripuri).
• In 1946, he was elected as the Constituent Assembly's President.
• He was the first President of India.
• Books - Division of India.

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar

• He was the chairman of the Drafting Committee of the constituent Assembly.
• He is called the Father of the Indian Constitution.
• He is known as Baba Saheb.
• He was born in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. into an untouchable caste.
• Founder
  • Bahisktit Hitkarni Sabha
  • Independent Labour Party

 1 only. Statement 1 is correct; the Indian Independence Act of 1947 maintained that the Constituent Assembly was a fully sovereign body. Statement 2 is incorrect as the representatives of Princely States were appointed by the rulers of the Princely States and not nominated by the people. Statement 3 is also incorrect as the seats allocated to each British province were divided among the three major religious communities, namely Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, in proportion to their population.

Originally (1949), the Constitution contained a Preamble, 395 Articles (divided into 22 Parts) and 8 Schedules. Though the rights and duties of the citizens are correlative and inseparable, the original constitution contained only the fundamental rights and not the fundamental duties. Later in 1976, the fundamental duties of citizens were added in the Constitution. In 2002, one more Fundamental Duty was added. 

The constituent assembly adopted the national flag on July 22, 1947. It adopted the national anthem on January 24, 1950. It adopted the national song on January 24, 1950. It elected Dr Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India on January 24, 1950.

The Constituent Assembly adopted the national flag on July 22, 1947. On this day, the tricolor flag of India, consisting of saffron, white and green stripes and a navy blue wheel at its center, was adopted as India's national flag. The Constituent Assembly adopted the national anthem on January 24, 1950. The national anthem, titled Jana Gana Mana, was composed by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and was adopted as India's national anthem. The Constituent Assembly elected Dr Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India on January 26, 1950. Dr Prasad was the first President of India, and he served from 1950 to 1962.

Committee on the Functions of the Constituent Assembly & Ad-hoc Committee on Citizenship were not major Committees under Constituent Assembly.

The Committee under the Constituent Assembly and their Chairman are:
States Committee- Jawaharlal Nehru
Provincial Constitution Committee- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Drafting Committee- B.R. Ambedkar
Special Committee to Examine the Draft Constitution- Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar

For the first time, the Constituent Assembly met as Dominion Legislature on November 17, 1947, and elected G V Mavlankar as its speaker. Sir B.N. Rau was appointed as the constitutional advisor (Legal advisor) to the Constituent Assembly. H.V.R. Iyengar was the Secretary to the Constituent Assembly. N Gopalaswamy Ayyangar was one of the members of the Drafting Committee.

In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru, on behalf the INC declared that ‘the Constitution of free India must be framed, without outside interference, by a Constituent Assembly elected based on adult franchise’. This demand was accepted by the British Government under its August Offer of 1940.

The Constitution as adopted on November 26, 1949, contained a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules. The Preamble was enacted after the entire Constitution was Enacted.

The preamble was a part of the original draft of the Indian Constitution and was not inserted by any amendment act. The Constitution of India adopted on November 26, 1949 had 395 articles and 8 schedules.

The Steering Committee was chaired by Rajendra Prasad.

• The chairman of the Steering Committee was Dr Rajendra Prasad.
• The names of the major committees and their chairmen are given below :
  • Union Powers Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Union Constitution Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Provincial Constitution Committee – Sardar Patel
  •  Drafting Committee – Dr B.R. Ambedkar
  •  Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas – Sardar Patel.
  • Rules of Procedure Committee – Dr Rajendra Prasad
  • States Committee (Committee for Negotiating with States) – Jawaharlal Nehru
  • Steering Committee – Dr Rajendra Prasad

Statement 2 is correct. The Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas was Vallabhbhai Patel.

Provisions of the Constitution on citizenship, elections, provisional parliament, temporary and transitional provisions, and short title contained in Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 came into force on November 26, 1949. The remaining provisions came into force on January 26, 1950.

It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and became effective on 26 January 1950. The constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country's fundamental governing document, and the Dominion of India became the Republic of India.

On 9 December 1946, the Constituent Assembly sat for the first time. In the span of 2 years and 11 months, it completed its task of framing the Indian Constitution. During this period the Constituent Assembly had 11 sessions and sat for a total of 166 days. The Assembly spent most of its time, 114 out of 165 days, debating this Draft Constitution. On 26 November the Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India which came into force on 26 January 1950.