Q.1 Discuss the features of the Constituent Assembly of India.
The Constituent Assembly of India, Constituent Assembly
was set up under the cabinet Mission plan on 16th May 1946. The members were
elected by the Provincial assemblies by the method of single transferable vote
system of proportional representations. The Constituent Assembly met for the
time on 9th December 1946, in the library of the Council Chamber Delhi, and 205
members attended the meet.
The League representatives and nominees of the Princely
States abstained. On 11th December, The Constituent Assembly of India, elected
Dr. Rajendra Prasad as its permanent President. The Constituent Assembly of
India was a sovereign body, which was formed on the recommendations of the
Cabinet Mission which visited India in 1946 to draft a Constitution for the
country.
However, later on the Constituent Assembly also faced
certain criticisms after its formation. On the basis of the framework provided
by the Cabinet Mission, a Constituent Assembly was constituted on 9th December,
1946. The Constitution making body was elected by the Provincial Legislative
Assembly constituting of 389 members who included 93 from Princely States and
296 from British India. The Constituent Assembly of India, The seats to the
British Indian provinces and princely states were allotted in proportion of
their respective population and were to be divided among Muslims, Sikhs and
rest of the communities. All sections of the Indian society got representation
in the Constituent Assembly in spite of limited suffrage.
The Objective Resolution was moved on December 13, 1946
by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, which provided the philosophy and guiding
principles for framing the Constitution and later took the form of Preamble of
the Constitution of India. The Constituent Assembly of India, This Resolution
was unanimously adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 January 1947. The
Resolution stated that the Constituent Assembly would firstly proclaim India as
an Independent Sovereign Republic which includes all the territories, retaining
as autonomous units and possess residuary powers; all the people of India shall
be guaranteed justice, equality of status, freedom of thought, expression,
belief, faith, worship, vocation, association and subject to law and public
morality; adequate safeguards shall be provided for minorities, backward,
depressed classes; the integrity of the territories of the Republic and its
sovereign rights on land, sea and air and thus India would contribute to the
promotion of world peace and the welfare of mankind.
Not a Popular body: Critics argued that the members of
the Constituent Assembly were not directly elected by the people of India. The Constituent
Assembly of India, The Preamble says that the Constitution has been adopted by
the people of India, whereas it was adopted by only few individuals who were
not even elected by the people.
