The Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution

The Constitution of India succeeded the Government of India Act (1935) on January 26, 1950, and became India’s governing document. The Constitution proclaimed India a fully independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations after over 200 years of foreign control. The Constitution of India made the President of India the head of the Indian Union. Although the Constitution came into operation in 1950, the Indian Constituent Assembly adopted it on November 26, 1949.

The Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution

After India achieved independence from British control, the Assembly passed a resolution, establishing a drafting committee. The constitutional advisor disposed of the draft text of the Constitution of India to the newly formed Drafting Committee. This acted on the Assembly resolutions which were made prior to the Drafting Committee, and also included any issues which are needful to be covered in such a constitution, or otherwise incidental with regard to issues already covered in the resolutions. The Drafting Committee was also to deliver to the Assembly the constitutional drafts, updated by the committee.

But Who Wrote the Indian Constitution?

There were seven members in the Drafting Committee. They were B. R. Ambedkar, Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar, N. Gopalaswami, K. M. Munshi, Mohammad Saadulla, B. L. Mitter and D. P. Khaitan. B. R. Ambedkar was elected as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee during their first meeting on 30 August 1947.

By the end of October 1947, the Drafting Committee had commenced to examine the text furnished to them by the advisor, B. N. Rau. The text was revised, and recorded and they disposed it, with an official letter, to the president of the Constituent Assembly.

Chairman of the Drafting Committee
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, also known as Babasaheb Ambedkar, was an Indian lawyer, economist, politician, and social reformer and a motivating force behind the Dalit-Buddist movement. He was na advocate against social bias towards untouchables and served in the first cabinet of Independent India as the first Law and Justice Minister.
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar was also the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
Babasaheb was a brilliant student who earned a doctorate in Economics from Columbia University and from the London School of Economics and established a identity as a scholar in the fields of Law, Economics, and Political Science. During his life Ambedkar was engaged in many campaigns and negotiations for the independence of the country, published different journals, supported the demand for political rights and freedom for Dalits and impacted the grounding of the Indian state in many ways.
In 1990 he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India.

Other Members of the Drafting Committee

The other members who drafted the Indian Constitution are:

• Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar
• Gopalaswami Ayyanger
• M. Munshi
• Mohammad Saadulla
• L. Mitter
• D.P. Khaitan