The Constituent Assembly of India played a crucial role in the creation of the Indian Constitution. It formed key committees to draft and enact the Constitution, with significant contributions from leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. This article explores the committees’ formation, the Objectives Resolution, and the process of drafting and enacting the Constitution.

Objectives Resolution and the Role of the Constituent Assembly

During the third session of the Constituent Assembly on December 13, 1946, Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the ‘Objectives Resolution’. This resolution outlined the fundamental principles and philosophy for the constitutional framework. The key points of the resolution are as follows:  

• India is a sovereign, independent republic with the authority to create its own Constitution.  
• The Indian Union will consist of territories from British India, regions that currently constitute Indian States, as well as other areas outside India, including States that wish to be part of India.  
• All territories that make up India will function as autonomous units, holding all powers and responsibilities of governance and administration, except for those powers and responsibilities that are assigned to or vested in the Union. 
• The power and authority of a sovereign and independent India, along with its constituent parts, originate from the people.  
• Every individual in the Indian Union shall be assured and protected in terms of justice (social, economic, and political), equality before the law, equal status and opportunity, as well as the freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship, profession, association, and action, while adhering to the law and public morality.  
• Appropriate safeguards will be put in place for minorities, backward and tribal regions, as well as depressed and other backward classes.
• The Republic’s territorial integrity and its sovereign rights over land, sea, and air shall be upheld in accordance with justice and the principles of civilized nations. 
• India pledges to actively and wholeheartedly support the advancement of global peace and the well-being of humanity.

The Constituent Assembly, in addition to creating the Constitution, had several other roles: 

• Passing regular laws for the nation. 
• Confirming India’s membership in the Commonwealth in May 1949. 
• Establishing the national flag on July 22, 1947. 
• Declaring the national anthem and national song on January 24, 1950. 
• Appointing Dr. Rajendra Prasad as India’s first President on January 24, 1950. 

It operated as the country’s parliament until the first parliament was formed after the general elections of 1951-52.

Committees of Constituent Assembly

The Constituent Assembly established 22 committees to undertake the task of creating the new Constitution of India. Below are the significant committees that were established by the Constituent Assembly: 

Key Committees 

The following were the key committees of the Constituent Assembly.

Minor Committees

• Committee on the Functions of the Constituent Assembly headed by G.V. Mavalankar
• Order of Business Committee headed by Dr. K.M. Munshi
• House Committee headed by B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya
• Ad-hoc Committee on the National Flag headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• Special Committee to Examine the Draft Constitution headed by Jawaharlal Nehru
• Credentials Committee headed by Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar
• Finance and Staff Committee headed by Dr. Rajendra Prasad
• Press Gallery Committee headed by Usha Nath Sen
• Committee to Examine the Effect of Indian Independence Act of 1947
• Committee on Chief Commissioners’ Provinces headed by B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya
• Commission on Linguistic Provinces headed by S.K. Dhar
• Expert Committee on Financial Provisions headed by Nalini Ranjan Sarkar
• Ad-hoc Committee on the Supreme Court headed by S. Varadachari
• Ad-hoc Committee on citizenship headed by S Varadachari

Drafting Committee of the Constitution 

The Drafting Committee was formed on August 29, 1947. It was the most significant among all the committees of the Constituent Assembly. The role of the drafting committee was to create an initial draft of the new Constitution. 

The Drafting Committee was comprised of seven members, including the Chairman.Dr BR Ambedkar (Chairman)

1. N Gopalaswamy Ayyangar
2. Syed Mohammad Saadullah
3. Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar
4. KM Munshi
5. N Madhava Rao substituted BL Mitter following his resignation on health issues
6. Dr DP Khaitan (died in 1948 and was substituted by TT Krishnamachari)

Enactment of the Constitution

The “Draft Constitution of India” was released by the Drafting Committee under the direction of Dr. Ambedkar. 

First Reading: On November 4, 1948, Dr. B R Ambedkar delivered the Assembly the final draft of the Constitution, also known as the first reading. 

Second Reading: The clause-by-clause review, also known as the second reading, took place between November 15, 1948, and October 17, 1949. Out of 7,635 proposed amendments in the Assembly, they debated and voted on up to 2,473 of them.

Third Reading: The draft’s third reading got underway in November 1949. As decided by the Assembly, Dr. B R Ambedkar proposed a motion to ratify the Constitution. On November 26, 1949, the draft constitution was deemed to have been approved, and on January 24, 1950, 284 of the 299 members signed it. 

There were eight schedules, 395 articles, and a preamble in the Constitution that went into effect on November 26, 1949. Following the completion of the Constitution, the Preamble was composed. Articles 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 60, 324, 366, 367, 379, 380, 388, 391, 392 and 393 of the Constitution, which deal with citizenship, elections, the provisional parliament, temporary and transitional provisions, and short titles, went into effect on November 26, 1949.

Enforcement of the Constitution

On January 26, 1950, the remaining provisions of the Constitution became operative. Purna Swaraj Day was observed on this day in 1930, and the Indian National Congress passed a resolution of full independence at its Lahore Session (December 1929), leading to the unfurling of the tricolor flag of independence. Known as the “date of its commencement” of the constitution, January 26th is observed as “Republic Day.”

On January 26, 1950, Indian citizens started living under the Constitution. They abolished the Constituent Assembly. Until a new Parliament was established in 1952, it served as India’s Provisional Parliament. The Government of India Act of 1935 and the Indian Independence Act of 1947, along with all other laws that amended or added to them, were repealed with the adoption of the Constitution.