How Our Constitution Makers Cut Their Teeth in Municipal Governance
Before they drafted the Constitution, many of India’s framers began their public life in the everyday work of municipal governance.
Are We Really Sovereign?
This 1949 letter by S. De. N. C. Mamidanna to the Constituent Assembly questions the location of sovereignty in post-independence India, expressing doubts about whether power really rests with the people, the Premier, the Governor-General, or the British Crown
K.M. Panikkar: The Bridge Between India and the Princely States
Panikkar was a polymath who wore many hats—academic, journalist, civil servant, and diplomat. One of his most significant contributions was laying the groundwork for the integration of the princely states, well before Patel and Nehru undertook the task—an enduring highlight of his multifaceted career.
The Bombay Civil Liberties Union: Nehru’s Forgotten Experiment in Rights Advocacy
The organisation was the Bombay branch of Nehru’s Indian Civil Liberties Union, founded in 1936 and inspired by his interactions with the American Civil Liberties Union in the U.S. and the National Council for Civil Liberties in the U.K.
The Constituent Assembly Petitions Archive
We are excited to launch an archive of petitions submitted by diverse individuals and groups to the Constituent Assembly between 1946 - 1950 on the new Constitution.
The Making of India’s Constitution
Watch this exclusive animated video that traces the long history of Indian constitution-making and highlights the radical constitutional choices made by the Indian Constituent Assembly.
Constituent Assembly Debates
Volume 7
36 DEBATES
04 Nov 1948 - 08 Jan 1949
Historical Constitutions
States and Minorities (B.R. Ambedkar, 1947)
B.R. Ambedkar drafted and submitted this seminal document to the Constituent Assembly's Sub-Committee on Fundamental Rights on the request of the All India Scheduled Castes Federation. It presents his constitutional vision for India, with a particular emphasis on safeguards for minorities.
Search through Indian Constitutional History Archives
Explore the fascinating history of India's Constitution with our robust search engine. Our extensive database features meticulously tagged and edited primary materials from 1874 to 1950, including plenary debates and committee reports of the Indian Constituent Assembly, Historical Constitutions, and the Constitution of India 1950. With powerful search filters and sorting options, you can engage with these materials in exciting new ways that promote discovery, insight, and analysis around India's constitutional origins.
Explore how the Indian Constitution was made
STAGES
First Session of the Constituent Assembly
13 DEC 1946 - 22 JAN 1947
Committee Stages and Second Session of Constituent Assembly Debates
27 FEB 1947 - 30 AUG 1947
Draft Constitution by the Constitutional Adviser
01 FEB 1947 - 31 OCT 1947
First Draft Constitution
27 OCT 1947 - 21 FEB 1948
Public Circulation of First Draft
21 FEB 1948 - 26 OCT 1948
Debates on the Draft Constitution
4 NOV 1948
Second Reading of the Draft Constitution
14 NOV 1948 - 17 OCT 1949
Revision of the Draft Constitution
Third Reading of Drafting Constitution
14 NOV 1949 - 26 NOV 1949
Enactment and Adoption of the Constitution of India
26 JAN 1950
INSTITUTIONS
Constituent Assembly
The Constitution making process was organised around the deliberations of the Constituent Assembly. On 9 December 1946, the Constituent Assembly sat for the first time. In the span of 2 years and 11 months, it completed its task of framing India's Constitution. During this period the Constituent Assembly had 11 sessions and sat for a total of 167 days.
Engage with ideas and insights around the Constitution of India
Founding of India’s Republic: Continuity or Departure from Civilisation?
26 January 2025 • By Vineeth Krishna
The Sengol ceremony during the new parliament's inauguration was an attempt to depict India's founding as a continuation of its civilizational heritage. Did the Founders perceive India's transformation in similar vein?
Finding Bose in the Indian Constitution
26 January 2025 • By Vineeth Krishna and Sudhir Krishnaswamy
How did the views of Subhas Chandra Bose manifest in the Constituent Assembly Debates?
Videos
Podcasts
The Making of India’s Constitution
Podcast
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