The Constituent Assembly of India was a body of elected representatives formed to write the Constitution of India. The assembly was established in 1946, after the British government announced its intention to transfer power to the Indians. The assembly was tasked with drafting a new Constitution that would govern the newly independent country.
The Constituent Assembly was formed as per the Cabinet Mission Plan of 1946, which called for the formation of an Interim Government and a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Constitution for India. The assembly was composed of elected representatives from provinces and princely states of British India and was headed by Dr Rajendra Prasad as its President.
The Constituent Assembly had the following main responsibilities:
To draft a new Constitution for the newly independent India.
To decide the form of government India would have, whether it would be a federal or a unitary government.
To define the fundamental rights and duties of citizens.
To decide on the distribution of powers between the central government and the states.
To provide for the protection of the rights of minorities.
The Constituent Assembly met for the first time on December 9, 1946, and continued to meet for a total of 11 sessions, spread over 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days before adopting the Constitution on November 26, 1949. It was signed by the members on January 24, 1950, and came into effect on January 26, 1950, which is now celebrated as the Republic Day of India. The assembly had a total of 389 members, and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar is considered as the chief architect of the Indian Constitution.