Constituent Assembly

• The constituent assembly was formed on the recommendation of the Cabinet Mission which visited India in 1946.
• The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on 9 December, 1946 in the Constitution Hall which is now known as the Central Hall of Parliament House.
• Mr. Sachchidanand Sinha was elected provisional chairman of the assembly.
• Dr Rajendra Prasad later became the permanent chairman of the constituent assembly.
• On 13 December, 1946, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution which resolved to proclaim India as an Independent Sovereign Republic and to draw up for her future governance a Constitution.
• The Constituent Assembly took almost three years (two years, eleven months and seventeen days to be precise) to complete its historic task of drafting the Constitution for Independent India.
• The Constituent Assembly held eleven sessions covering a total of 165 days.
• India is governed in terms of the Constitution, which was adopted on 26 November, 1949, which was the last day of the Eleventh session of the Constituent Assembly.
• This date finds mention in the Preamble to the Indian Constitution thus IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.
• The honourable members appended their signatures to the constitution on 24 January, 1950.
• The Constitution of India came into force on 26 January, 1950. On that day, the Constituent Assembly ceased to exist, transforming itself into the Provisional Parliament of India until a new Parliament was constituted in 1952.

Important Dates - Constituent Assembly to Constitution

Constituent Assembly met for the first time - 09 Dec 1946

Objectives Resolution moved - 13 Dec 1946

Constitution adopted - 26 Nov 1949

Signed by members - 24 Jan 1950

Constitution came into force and Constituent Assembly ceased to exist - 26 Jan 1950