Parmar SSC GK: Making of the Indian Constitution

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes on the making of the Indian Constitution.

Constitution (India)

A written set of fundamental rules governing India; accepted by all; partly rigid, partly flexible.

Written Constitution

A constitution that is systematically codified and written.

Unwritten Constitution

A constitution not systematically codified; example: United Kingdom.

Cabinet Mission Plan

British 1946 proposal for constitutional arrangements in India, proposing communal representation and a Constituent Assembly.

Constituent Assembly

Body formed to draft India's Constitution; held meetings from 1946 to 1949; 284 members signed the Constitution.

Objective Resolution

Resolution moved by Nehru (Dec 1946/Jan 1947) outlining aims and guiding principles for the Constitution; adopted by the CA.

Preamble

Introductory statement of the Constitution outlining its objectives and guiding principles.

Drafting Committee

Committee that prepared the Draft Constitution; chaired by B. R. Ambedkar; 7 members; set up 29 Aug 1947.

B. R. Ambedkar

Chairman of the Drafting Committee; widely regarded as the principal drafter of the Constitution.

Rajendra Prasad

First President of India; served as President of the Constituent Assembly.

G. V. Mavalankar

First Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

National Flag (India)

The national flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.

National Anthem

Rabindranath Tagore; adopted as national anthem.

National Song

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s Vande Mataram; adopted as national song.

First Draft Dates

1st draft: 9-23 December 1946; subsequent drafts: 10th (6-17 Oct 1949) and 11th (14-26 Nov 1949).

Final Draft/Adoption

Final draft presented by Ambedkar; Constitution adopted on 26 November 1949.

Enforced/Republic Day

Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950 (Republic Day) and established the Republic of India.

Beating Retreat Ceremony

Ceremony marking the end of Republic Day celebrations.

Symbol Elephant

Symbol associated with India’s Constitution; India’s Constitution is described as the largest written constitution.

Federal Features

Supremacy of the Constitution; division of power between Union and States; independent judiciary.

Unitary Features

Single Citizenship; single Constitution; centre’s power to override state matters; centralized controls during emergencies; integrated judiciary; centre appoints governors.

Quasi-Federal

A system with some features federal and some unitary, as in India.

Bicameralism

Two houses of Parliament: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Committees in CA

Various committees including Drafting Committee; Rules of Procedure; Union/States committees; and others guiding constitutional work.

Largest Written Constitution

India’s constitution is described as the largest written constitution.

Prem Bihari Narain Raizada

Calligrapher who prepared the handwritten English version of the Constitution.

Vasant Kumar Vaidya

Calligrapher who prepared the handwritten Hindi version of the Constitution.

Nehru’s Role (Resolution/CA proceedings)

Nehru played a key role in proposing the Objective Resolution and guiding CA proceedings for drafting the Constitution.