SSC CGL Preparation: Concepts and Practice

Learning outcome

You can give the adoption date and the commencement date, and you can name who chaired the Drafting Committee.

Concepts and reasons

The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949. The Preamble records that day. Article 394 says the remaining provisions came into force on 26 January 1950. That is the date the exam wants for commencement. 26 January is Republic Day. A stated list of articles came into force at once, on the day of adoption. Those include the citizenship articles and the election article. Do not use that list to change the commencement date. The date for the Constitution as a whole is 26 January 1950. 26 January was chosen because 26 January 1930 was already the day of the Purna Swaraj pledge. B. R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly. Those are two offices. Article 1 says India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States. The 42nd Amendment replaced the words Sovereign Democratic Republic with Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic, and unity of the Nation with unity and integrity of the Nation.

Worked examples

1. Adopted: 26 November 1949. In force: 26 January 1950.
2. The question asks for the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. The answer is B. R. Ambedkar, not Rajendra Prasad.
3. Article 1 calls India a Union of States, not a federation by that name.

Common traps

26 January 1950 is commencement, not adoption. 15 August 1947 is Independence Day, not either of these dates. Rajendra Prasad presided over the Assembly. He did not chair the Drafting Committee. Socialist and Secular were not in the Preamble of 1949. The 42nd Amendment put them there.

Practice questions

1. On which date was the Constitution adopted?
2. On which date did the Constitution come into force?
3. Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee?

Answers and explanations

1. 26 November 1949.
2. 26 January 1950. Article 394 names that day for the remaining provisions.
3. B. R. Ambedkar. Rajendra Prasad was President of the Constituent Assembly.

Analogy

Adoption is the day the Assembly signed the plan. Commencement is the day the plan started to run. A plan can be signed in November and start in January.

Quick reference

• Adopted: 26 November 1949.
• Came into force: 26 January 1950.
• Drafting Committee: B. R. Ambedkar. Constituent Assembly: Rajendra Prasad.
• Article 1: a Union of States. Preamble ideals added in the 42nd Amendment: Socialist, Secular, integrity.