INDIAN CONSTITUTION
REGISTERED No. L. 3133
The Gazette of India
EXTRAORDINARY
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
NEW DELHI, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1948
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA.
New Delhi,
26th February. 1948.
No. CA/99/Cons./47.
The Draft Constitution of India, as settled by the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, together with a letter from the Chairman of the Committee to the President of the Constituent Assembly, is hereby published for general information. The Draft will be taken into consideration at the next session of the Constituent Assembly:—
New Delhi, 21st February, 1948.
To
The Hon’ble President of the
Constituent Assembly of India,
New Delhi.
Dear Sir,
Introductory.—On behalf of the Drafting Committee appointed by the resolution of the Constituent Assembly of August 29, 1947, I submit herewith the Draft of the new Constitution of India as settled by the Committee. Although I have been authorized to sign the; Draft on behalf of the members of the Committee, I should make it clear that not all the members were
present at all the meetings of the Committee. But at every meeting at which any decision was taken the necessary quorum was present and the decisions were either unanimous or by a majority of those present.
In preparing the Draft the Drafting Committee was of course expected to follow the decisions taken by the Constituent Assembly or by the various Committees appointed by the Constituent Assembly. This the Drafting Committee has endeavoured to do as far as possible. There were however some matters in respect of which the Drafting Committee felt it necessary to suggest certain changes. All such changes have been indicated in the Draft by underlining or side-lining the relevant portions.
Care has also been taken by the Drafting Cdmmittee to insert a footnote explaining the reasons for every such change. I however think that, having regard to the importance of the matter, I should draw your attention and the attention of the Constituent Assembly to the most important of these changes.
2. Preamble.—The Objectives Resolution adopted by the Constituent Assembly in January, 1947, declares that India is to be a Sovereign Independent Republic. The Drafting Committee has adopter the phrase Sovereign Democratic Republic, because independence is usually implied in the word “Sovereign”, so that there is hardly anything to be gained by adding the word “Independent. The question of the relationship between this Democratic Republic and the British Commonwealth of Nations
remains to be decided subsequently.
The Committee has added a clause about fraternity in the preamble, although it does not occur in the Objectives Resolution. The Committee felt that the need for fraternal concord and goodwill In India was never greater than now and that this particular aim of the new Constitution should be emphasised by special mention in the preamble. In other respects the Committee has tried to embody in the preamble the spirit and, as far as possible, the language of the Objectives Resolution.
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22. A separate note recorded by Shri Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar on certain points (not involving any question of principle) is appended to the Draft at his request.
23. I cannot transmit to you this Draft Constitution without placing on record the Committee’s gratitude for the assistance the Committee has received in this difficult task from Sir B. N. Rau, the Constitutional Adviser, Shri S, N. Mukerjee, Joint Secretary and Draftsman, and the staff of the Constituent Assembly Secretariat.
Yours truly,
B. R. AMBEDKAR.
Read the Draft Constitution
Draft Constitution of India 1948(PDF)
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