Why do we need a Constitution?

● Every country drafts its own constitution.

● A constitution of a nation is the set of the
written laws accepted by the people living
together in a country
● It generates trust and coordination.
● It specifies how a government should be
function.
● It lays down the limit on the power of the
government.
● It expresses the aspirations of the
people about creating a good society.
 Making of the Indian Constitution
★ Making of the constitution for a huge and diverse
country like India was not an easy affair.
★ Change of people status from subjects to citizens.
★ The country was born through the partition based on
religious differences.
★ The princely states were left to decide whether to
merge with India or Pakistan or to remain
independent.
★ The makers of the constitution had anxieties about
the present and the future of the country.
 The path to constitution
● The national movement of India was not merely a struggle
against a foreign rule.
● It was also to rejuvenate the country and to transform the
society as well as the politics.
● The past experience under colonial rule helped India to set up
its own institutions.
● Many leaders were inspired by the ideals of French Revolution,
the practice of parliamentary democracy in Britain, bill of rights
in USA.
● They incorporated some good points of constitutions of these
in the Indian Constitution.
 The Constituent Assembly

● The drafting of the Constitution was done by the elected

representatives called the Constituent Assembly.
● It's first meeting was held in December 1946.
● The Constituent Assembly was also divided into
Constituent of India and that of Pakistan.
● There were 299 members that in Indian Constituent
Assembly.
● The Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November
1949 but came into effect on 26 January 1950.
 Why should we accept the Constitution made this
Assembly more than fifty years ago?
● No large social group and political party has ever
questioned the legitimacy of the constitution itself.
● The Constituent Assembly represents the people of
India.
● It's members were elected by the members of the
existing Provincial Legislatures.
● Though dominated by the Indian National Congress,
it includes varieties of opinion and political groups.
● The Assembly reprinted members from
different language groups, castes,
classes, religions and occupation.
● Several rounds of thorough discussion
were taken.
● More than two thousands amendment
were considered.
● Members delibrated 114 days spread over 3
years.
● Every spoken words in the Assembly has
been recorded, preserved and printed in 12
bulky volumes.
These are called ‘Constituent Assembly
Debates’.
● These are use to interpret the meaning of the
constitution.
 The Dream and the Promise
The dreams and the promises:
• Mahatma Gandhi in his
magazine Young India in
1931, spelt out what he
wanted the Constitution to
do….
Jawaharlal Nehru famous
speech at the stock of
midnight on August 15,1947
He stated when the world sleep, India will
awake to life and freedom. Freedom and
power brings responsibilities, Service of
India means service of the millions who
suffer, the ambition of the greatest man of
our generation has been to wipe every tear
from every eye.
Thank you