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THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
395 Articles, organised into 25 Parts and 12 Schedules, make up the Constitution of India

PARTS
Each Part collates Articles on specific themes. E.g. Fundamental Rights in Part III.

SCHEDULES
Each Schedule contains provisions necessary to apply related Articles.

Original Manuscript

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HISTORICAL CONSTITUTIONS
The Constitution of India 1950 was preceded by British authored framework legislation to govern India, and proto-constitutional drafts by several Indian individuals and groups. These Historical Constitutions are archived here.

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY DEBATES
The Constitution of India 1950 was drafted by a Constituent Assembly. 167 days of plenary assembly debates from 9 December 1946 to 24 January 1950 are archived here.

Browse digitised, edited and paragraph-numbered versions of critical primary materials related to the Indian Constitution and its origins.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
Documents prepared by smaller groups of Constituent Assembly members which conducted preliminary research and advanced recommendations on specific constitutional topics.
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Travel through the various stage of the constitution-making process, discover the contributions of diverse institutions, and learn more about the framers of the Constitution through their biographies.

THE CONSTITUTION FRAMERS
Learn about the members of the Constituent Assembly, the role they played in India’s freedom movement and their contributions to constitution-making.

STAGES OF CONSTITUTION-MAKING
A stage-by-stage overview of the drafting of the Constitution of India 1950. Begin with our popular video on the making of the Indian Constitution.
INSTITUTIONS
The Constitution of India 1950 was drafted by the collective work of the following institutions:

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
A 389-member body responsible for drafting India’s Constitution.

COMMITTEES
Committees were created by the Constituent Assembly comprising smaller groups of members delegated with various responsibilities.

CONGRESS ASSEMBLY PARTY
An unofficial forum consisting of Assembly members belonging to the Indian National Congress that met on the side-lines of the Assembly.
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GOI.358

7. The period for which a person shall be appointed to fill a seat shall be—

(i) in the case of a person appointed to fill a seat in the Council of State—

(a) by the Ruler of a State entitled to separate representation, nine years;

(b) jointly by the Rulers of all the States in a group which have acceded to the Federation, three years;

(c) by the Ruler of a State appointing in rotation, one year subject, however, to the special provisions of the next succeeding paragraph with respect to certain States therein mentioned;

(d) jointly by Rulers of some only of the States in a group which have acceded to the Federation, a period equal to the aggregate of the periods for which each of them might in rotation have appointed a person to hold that seat or three years, whichever may be the shorter period;

(e) in any other manner, three years; and

(ii) in the case of a person appointed to fill a seat in the Federal Assembly, until the dissolution of the Assembly :

Provided that—

(i) a person appointed to fill a seat upon the occurrence of a casual vacancy shall be appointed to fill that seat for the remainder of the period for which his predecessor was appointed;

(ii) in the case of first appointments to fill seats in the Council of State the Governor-General in his discretion shall make by order provision for securing that approximately one-third of the persons appointed by Rulers entitled to separate representation shall be appointed to fill seats for three years only, approximately one-third to fill seats for six years only and approximately one-third to fill seats for nine years.