Chapter 14 · Topic 14.3 · Prelims + Mains3 of 3
Constituent Assembly: Adoption and enactment
Key points
- Adoption and enactment.
4 PYQs 2013–2022
Prelims box: facts and traps
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 22 July 1947 | National flag adopted |
| 26 November 1949 | Constitution adopted; a few provisions (citizenship, elections, provisional Parliament, temporary provisions) came into force at once |
| 24 January 1950 | Last session: members signed the Constitution; Rajendra Prasad elected first President; national anthem and national song adopted |
| 26 January 1950 | Rest of the Constitution came into force; the date recalled Purna Swaraj Day (1930). |
- The work took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days, in 11 sessions.
- The adopted text had a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules.
- The third reading of the Draft Constitution began on 14 November 1949 and ended on 26 November 1949, when the motion on the Draft Constitution was declared passed.
- Trap (UPSC Prelims 2026, the Constitution of India : 1. There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Constitution of India will be officially called the 'Constitution of India'. 2. There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Indian Independence Act): “There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Constitution of India will be officially called the 'Constitution of India'” is incorrect. “There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935 stand repealed” is incorrect. “There is no Article in the Constitution of India that mentions 26th January, 1950 as the date of the commencement of the Constitution of India” is incorrect.
- Trap: All three were wrong: Article 393 gives the short title 'Constitution of India', Article 395 repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935, and Article 394 mentions 26 January 1950.
Adoption and enactment
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 22 July 1947 | National flag adopted |
| 26 November 1949 | Constitution adopted; a few provisions (citizenship, elections, provisional Parliament, temporary provisions) came into force at once |
| 24 January 1950 | Last session: members signed the Constitution; Rajendra Prasad elected first President; national anthem and national song adopted |
| 26 January 1950 | Rest of the Constitution came into force; the date recalled Purna Swaraj Day (1930) |
The work took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days, in 11 sessions. The adopted text had a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules.
Prelims 2023 tested the ‘Constitution Day ‘. Statement I was right: it is celebrated on 26 November to promote constitutional values. Statement II was wrong: the Drafting Committee was set up on 29 August 1947, not on 26 November 1949, the day the Constitution was adopted.
Consider the following statements in respect of the Constitution Day : Statement-I : The Constitution Day is celebrated on 26th November every year to promote constitutional values among citizens. Statement-II : On 26th November, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution of India. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? Statement-I
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
- Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for
- Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
- Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Show answer
Answer: (c) · UPSC official key
Prelims 2026 offered three ‘There is no Article ‘ statements. All three were wrong: Article 393 gives the short title ‘Constitution of India’, Article 395 repeals the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935, and Article 394 mentions 26 January 1950.
Consider the following statements with reference to the Constitution of India : 1. There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Constitution of India will be officially called the ‘Constitution of India’. 2. There is no Article in the Constitution of India that specifies that the Indian Independence Act, 1947 and the Government of India Act, 1935 stand repealed. 3. There is no Article in the Constitution of India that mentions 26th January, 1950 as the date of the commencement of the Constitution of India. Which one of the following conclusions based on the above statements is correct ?
- All three statements are correct.
- There is no correct statement.
- There are two correct statements that include statement 3.
- There is only one correct statement.
Show answer
Answer: (b) · UPSC provisional key (final key awaited)
Mains 2015 asked whether ‘It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task ‘ in three years ‘but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935’. About 250 provisions drew on that Act: federal scheme, governors, emergency powers, public service commissions.
It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss.
Mains box: analysis and answer points
- Likely next angle: 1935 Act (Mains 2015)
- Asked: Mains 2015 (GS Paper I, 12.5 marks): It would have been difficult for the Constituent Assembly to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India in just three years but for the experience gained with the Government of India Act, 1935. Discuss.
Practice
Practice MCQs (8)
26 January was chosen as the date of commencement of the Constitution of India because
Answer (a) & explanation
26 January was chosen as the date of commencement because of its historic importance in the freedom struggle. At its Lahore Session of December 1929, presided over by Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress adopted the goal of Purna Swaraj, or complete independence. In pursuance of that resolution, 26 January 1930 was celebrated across India as Purna Swaraj Day. The other dates relate to other events: the Objectives Resolution was adopted on 22 January 1947, and the Assembly first met on 9 December 1946.
The Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas of the Constituent Assembly was chaired by
Answer (c) & explanation
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel chaired the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas, one of the Assembly's major committees. It worked through sub-committees: Fundamental Rights under J. B. Kripalani, Minorities under H. C. Mukherjee, and two on tribal and excluded areas. Its reports shaped Part III and the minority safeguards. Nehru chaired the Union committees, Rajendra Prasad the procedural committees, and Ambedkar the Drafting Committee.
Consider the following statements:
1. The clause-by-clause second reading of the Draft Constitution was completed in 1948.
2. The third reading of the Draft Constitution began on 14 November 1949.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 2 is correct: the third reading of the Draft Constitution began on 14 November 1949 and ended on 26 November 1949, when the motion on the Draft Constitution was declared passed. Statement 1 is incorrect: the second reading, the clause-by-clause consideration of the draft, began on 15 November 1948 and ended only on 17 October 1949. It took almost a year because the Assembly debated thousands of proposed amendments and adopted many of them.
Consider the following statements:
1. All the committees of the Constituent Assembly were chaired by either Jawaharlal Nehru or Rajendra Prasad.
2. The Drafting Committee was classed among the minor committees of the Constituent Assembly.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
Both statements are incorrect. The Assembly worked through some 22 committees, chaired by many leaders: Nehru and Prasad, but also Sardar Patel (Provincial Constitution and Advisory Committees), B. R. Ambedkar (Drafting), K. M. Munshi (Order of Business), Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar (Credentials) and others. The Drafting Committee was one of the eight major committees, and arguably the most important, since it turned the reports of the other committees into the Draft Constitution.
Consider the following statements:
1. B. N. Rau, the Constitutional Adviser to the Assembly, was a member of the Drafting Committee.
2. S. N. Mukherjee was the chief draftsman of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 2 is correct: S. N. Mukherjee was the chief draftsman of the Constitution in the Constituent Assembly, the official who put its provisions into legal language. Statement 1 is incorrect: B. N. Rau, a senior civil servant and jurist, was appointed Constitutional Adviser to the Assembly. He prepared the first draft in October 1947, which the Drafting Committee then examined and revised. But he was an adviser, not a member; the Drafting Committee had seven members, chaired by B. R. Ambedkar.
Consider the following:
1. Adopting the National Flag
2. Electing the first President of India
3. Enacting ordinary laws as the Dominion legislature
4. Appointing the first Chief Justice of India
How many of the above were done by the Constituent Assembly?
Answer (c) & explanation
Only three. Besides framing the Constitution, the Constituent Assembly performed several other functions. It adopted the National Flag on 22 July 1947. It made ordinary laws as the Dominion legislature after August 1947. It elected Rajendra Prasad as the first President of India on 24 January 1950. It also ratified India's Commonwealth membership in May 1949. It did not appoint the first Chief Justice of India: appointing judges is an executive act of the President, not a function of the Assembly.
With reference to the committees of the Constituent Assembly, consider the following statements:
1. The Union Powers Committee and the Union Constitution Committee were both chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru.
2. The Provincial Constitution Committee was chaired by Rajendra Prasad.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Statement 1 is correct: Jawaharlal Nehru chaired both the Union Powers Committee, which listed the subjects for the Centre, and the Union Constitution Committee, which proposed the structure of the Union government. Nehru also chaired the States Committee. Statement 2 is incorrect: the Provincial Constitution Committee was chaired by Sardar Patel, who also chaired the Advisory Committee on rights and minorities. Rajendra Prasad chaired procedural committees such as Rules of Procedure and Steering.
Consider the following statements:
1. The States Committee, for negotiating with the princely States, was chaired by Sardar Patel.
2. The Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee was chaired by J. B. Kripalani.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (b) & explanation
Statement 2 is correct: J. B. Kripalani chaired the Fundamental Rights Sub- Committee, which worked under Patel's Advisory Committee and drafted the list of rights. Statement 1 is incorrect: the States Committee, set up to negotiate with the princely States about their representation in the Assembly, was chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru. Sardar Patel led the integration of the princely States as Home and States Minister, but that was government work outside the Assembly's committee system.
0 / 0 correct
Prelims PYQs on this topic (4)
With reference to the proposals of Cripps Mission, consider the following statements :
- 1. The Constituent Assembly would have members nominated by the Provincial Assemblies as well as the Princely States.
- 2. Any Province, which is not prepared to accept the new Constitution would have the right to sign a separate agreement with Britain regarding its future status.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Only statement 2 is correct (b). Statement 2 is right: under the Cripps proposals (March 1942), any province unwilling to accept the new constitution could stay out and sign a separate agreement with Britain, with the same status as the Indian Union. Statement 1 is wrong because of one word: the constitution-making body would be elected by the provincial assemblies through proportional representation, while only the princely states would nominate their members.
Notice why both sides rejected it. Congress objected to the provincial opt-out, which looked like a seed of Partition, and to nominated princes; Gandhi reportedly called the offer a "post-dated cheque". The League wanted Pakistan clearly accepted. The failure of Cripps led straight to the Quit India call in August 1942.
Elected versus nominated: only the princely states nominated.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the context of Colonial India, Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon are remembered as
Answer (d) & explanation
They were officers of the Indian National Army (d). Shah Nawaz Khan, Prem Kumar Sehgal and Gurbaksh Singh Dhillon, a Muslim, a Hindu and a Sikh, were INA officers tried together for treason at the Red Fort in November 1945. Bhulabhai Desai led the defence, with Nehru and Tej Bahadur Sapru on the team. Protests across the country forced the government to remit their sentences. They were not linked with the Swadeshi movement (a), the Interim Government (b) or the Drafting Committee (c).
Notice the slogan "Lal Qila se aai awaaz, Sehgal, Dhillon, Shah Nawaz". The INA trials, along with the Royal Indian Navy mutiny (1946), showed the British they could no longer rely on Indian forces.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian National Movement, consider the following pairs :
| Person | Position held
| 1. Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru | President, All India Liberal Federation
| 2. K. C. Neogy | Member, The Constituent Assembly
| 3. P. C. Joshi | General Secretary, Communist Party of India
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Answer (d) & explanation
All three pairs are correct (d). Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru was a leading Liberal, a Moderate who left the Congress, and he presided over the All India Liberal Federation (1923 and 1927). He also drafted much of the Nehru Report (1928). K.C. Neogy was a member of the Constituent Assembly, later a Union minister, and chaired the First Finance Commission (1951). P.C. Joshi was the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (1935–47).
Notice the Liberals' roots: the National Liberal Federation, formed in 1918 by Moderates such as Surendranath Banerjea who backed the Montagu–Chelmsford reforms. Sapru also defended INA officers at the Red Fort trials (1945).
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to Indian History, the Members of the Constituent Assembly from the Provinces were
Answer (c) & explanation
Elected by the Provincial Legislative Assemblies is correct (c). Under the Cabinet Mission Plan (1946), the provincial members of the Constituent Assembly were indirectly elected by the members of the Provincial Legislative Assemblies through proportional representation by single transferable vote. Seats were roughly one per million population, divided among Muslims, Sikhs and General. (a) is wrong: there was no direct election. (b) is wrong: parties did not nominate members. (d) is wrong: the government did not select experts. Members from the princely states were nominated by the rulers.
Notice the numbers: the Assembly had 389 members (292 provinces, 93 princely states, 4 chief commissioners' provinces), reduced to 299 after Partition. It first met on 9 December 1946. Trap: 'directly elected' sounds democratic but was not the method.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Write an answer
In 150 words, explain the significance of Constituent Assembly with one recent example.
Flashcards (4)
When was the Constitution adopted?
26 November 1949.
Why 26 January for commencement?
Purna Swaraj Day, 1930.
When was the national flag adopted?
22 July 1947.
Which Article gives the short title?
Article 393.
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