Constitutional Design Test - 6

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of India took place in Constitutional Hall, New Delhi, on 9th December 1946. Dr Sachchidananda Sinha was the first president of the Constituent Assembly. On December 11, 1946, Rajendra Prasad was elected as permanent chairman of the Constituent Assembly. 

Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held in July 1946. Its first meeting was held in December 1946. Soon after, the country was divided into India and Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly was also divided into the Constituent Assembly of India and that of Pakistan. The Constituent Assembly that wrote the Indian constitution had 299 members. The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949 but it came into effect on 26 January 1950. 

The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949, but it came into force on 26 January, 1950. 26 January specifically opted because it was on this date in 1929, that Jawaharlal Nehru was elected as President of the Indian National Congress during the Lahore Session and on the same day a resolution was passed demanding complete independence.  The day 26 January, 1930 was declared as “Purna Swaraj Diwas” or Independence Day. Thus, in order to honor the significance of this day, the members of the Constituent Assembly decided to enforce the Constitution on January 26, 1950 marking it as Republic Day.

The Constitution of India was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, and it was implemented under the Cabinet Mission Plan on 16 May 1946. The members of the Constituent Assembly were elected by the provincial assemblies by a single, transferable-vote system of proportional representation. The total membership of the Constituent Assembly was 389: 292 were representatives of the states, 93 represented the princely states and four were from the chief commissioner provinces of Delhi, Ajmer-Merwara, Coorg and British Baluchistan.

India is a Democratic Republic country. Democracy is a form of government by the people, of the people and for the people. It also implies equality of common man in social and political aspects. Republic is where the the head of the state is not hereditary and is elected by the people.

The Indian Constitution system mostly resembles the system of constitution prevalent in the United Kingdom. It is so because India remained the colony of Britain for a long period and the laws so enacted and formulated during British India were adopted as it is with little modification. The system prevalent in the U.K. was more feasible for the Indian system hence major principles were taken from the U.K. itself such as Prime Minister, Parliament, cabinet, Council of Minister, etc.

The most salient underlying conflict in the making of a democratic constitution in South Africa was between the white minority and the black majority.

The first president to be elected under the new constitution was Nelson Mandela.

The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly of India took place in Constitutional Hall, New Delhi, on 9th December 1946. Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the first president of the Constituent Assembly. After partition, Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent chairman of Constituent Assembly of Independent India.  

The 42nd Amendment amended the Preamble and changed the description of India from ‘sovereign democratic republic’ to a ‘sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic’, and also changed the words ‘unity of the nation’ to ‘unity and integrity of the nation’.