Princely States Archives - Constitution of India

ReadThe Constitution of India
Back
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

Regional Translations
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.
ExploreConstitution-Making
Back
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.
LearnDigital Classroom
EngageWritings & Media
Back

Engage

Discover a wide range of writings and original multimedia content, in the form of blogs, podcasts and videos, that offer valuable insights into the history of India's Constitution, highlighting its relevance to current events both in India and worldwide. We rely on our extensive database of primary materials to produce this content.

Museum
Explore India’s rich constitutional and political history through a diverse collection of archival images, audio and video.

1946 Assembly Debates
Audio

Blog
Articles that engage with important political, social and legal developments in India and the world through constitutional and political history.

Podcasts
Our writings and research brought to life through voice. Also features interviews with scholars and educators.

Videos
Workshops, talks, and educational videos exclusively produced by us on India’s constitutional origins.

Back

Blog

The Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly: A Brief History

Very few Indians had the distinction of being constitution framers twice over. In fact, there were only four: Sheikh Abdullah, Moti Ram Baigra, Mirza Afzal Beg and Maulana Mohammad Masoodi. On 22 January 1950, they joined their fellow Assembly colleagues to sign the Constitution of India 1950. But unlike their fellow Constituent Assembly members, constitution-making […]

Read more

Blog

Sir T. Madhava Rao’s 1874 Constitution for the Princely States: Is This India’s First Historical Constitution?

You may have noticed from our earlier desk briefs, blog posts and pretty much all the writing on ConstitutionofIndia.net, that we are obsessed with Historical Constitutions. We are constantly engaging with documents written prior to 1946 that put forward a constitutional imagination for India. Our section on the Historical Constitutions presents carefully selected, edited and […]

Read more

Blog

This Month in Constitution Making (April 1947): Princely States Join the Constituent Assembly

On 28 April 1947, the Constituent Assembly of India reconvened after a 2-month break. This sitting began with eighteen new members presenting their credentials to the Assembly President. In the early stages of constitution-making, fresh faces continued to stream into the Assembly. The new members who joined on this day marked something significant: the participation […]

Read more