Original Manuscript of Constitution of India

23 Nov 1948 Constituent Assembly Debates Dr Ambedkar: Therefore, the argument whether we should attempt such a thing seems to me somewhat misplaced for the simple reason that we have, as a matter of fact , covered the whole lot of the field which is covered by a uniform Civil Code in this country. It is therefore too late  now to ask the question whether we could do it. As I say, we have already done it.   Therefore, the argument whether we should attempt such a thing seems to me somewhat misplaced for the simple reason that we have, as a matter of fact , covered the whole lot of the field which is covered by a uniform Civil Code in this country. It is therefore too late now to ask the question whether we could do it. As I say, we have already done it.     Coming to the amendments, there are only two observations which I would like to make. My first observation would be to state that members who put forth these amendments say that the Muslim ...

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME XI Thursday, the 24th November, 1949 Shri L. Krishnaswami Bharathi : .... I am sorry. I will finish soon. I am therefore anxious that polling should be made fool-proof if that is possible. I think it is possible and my suggestion therefore is this : The voters must be given what are known as identification cards, preferably with photos. Well,people may raise all sorts of objections but there is no time for me to touch upon this important matter. If identification cards are given beforehand, no voter can vote for somebody else....

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME XI Friday, the 25th November, 1949 Dr Ambedkar : If we wish to maintain democracy not merely in form, but also in fact, what must we do? The first thing in my judgment we must do is to hold fast to constitutional methods of achieving our social and economic objectives. It means we must abandon the bloody methods of revolution. It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non-cooperation and satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for unconstitutional methods. But where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the Grammar of Anarchy and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us.  The second thing we must do is to observe the caution which John Stuart Mill has given to all who are interes...

Government without newspapers or newspapers without Government: Constituent Assembly Debates CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME XI Friday, the 25th November, 1949 Shri Deshbandhu Gupta There is yet another point to which I would like to draw the attention of the House, under the chapter of Fundamental Rights, there is no article regarding the Freedom of Press. We have drawn much in this Constitution from different constitutions of the world. We have copied many things from the Constitution of Ireland, America and other countries. But we have not derived any benefit from them regarding Press which is called Fourth State. In our Constitution there is no mention of it. Mr. Jefferson, a great American Constitutionalist said : "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have Government without newspapers or newspapers without Government I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receiv...

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME XI Monday, the21st November 1949 Shri S.M. Ghose (West Bengla: General) : Mr. President, Sir,first of all, I express my gratitude to the Arabindo who first gave us the call for the struggle of Indian independence . We are practically at the end of our journey which was commenced by the Indian sepoys in 1857 and subsequently countless martyrs and great leaders have joined in that journey and led us through these difficult periods of our struggle to the fulfillment and realization of our great dream, the independence of the Indian people. I will be failing in my duty if I do not mention some of the names of those great leaders, and martyrs-I mean, Tilak, Lajpat Rai, Pandit Moti Lal Nehru, Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Chittaranjan Das, J.M. Sen Gupta, Subhash Chandra Bose, Srinivas Iyengar, Satyamurthi, Dr. Ansari and the matryrs like Kanyalal, Satyen Bose, Jatin Mukherjee, Jatin Das, Surjya Sen and Many others who have falled dur...

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose drew the day of freedom nearer.: Constituent Assembly Debates CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA DEBATES (PROCEEDINGS) - VOLUME XI Saturday, the 19th November 1949 Prof. Shibban Lal Saksena (United Provinces: General): "My thoughts go today to the millions of my countrymen, those unknown heroes and martyrs in our freedom struggle during the last 92 years since the first war of India's independence was fought in 1857. It is because of the sacrifices of these millions of our countrymen that this day has dawned. Among those heroes and martyrs, we cannot forget those great patriots who have been now left in areas known as Pakistan. My heart is heavy when I remember the figure of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his thousands of Khudai Khidmatgars who spilled their blood for India's freedom and who are today languishing in the jails of Pakistan. I was one of the staunchest opponents of partition and I feel we are guilty of betrayal of th...

Seth Govind Das (C. P. and Berar: General): I belong to a family which was renowned in the Central Provinces for its loyalty. We had a tradition of being granted titles. My grandfather held the title of Raja and my uncle that of Diwan Bahadur and my father too that of Diwan Bahadur. I am very glad that titles will no more be granted in this country. In spite of belonging to such a family I was prosecuted under section 124 A and that also for an interesting thing. My great grandfather had been awarded a gold waist-band inlaid with diamonds. The British Government awarded it to him for helping it in 1857 and the words "In recognition of his services during the Mutiny in 1857" were engraved on it. In the course of my speech during the Satyagraha movement of 1930, I said that my great-grandfather got this waist-band for helping the alien government and that he had committed a sin by doing so and that I wanted to have engraved on it that the sin committed by my great-grandfa...

Tuesday, the 30th November 1948 Shri K. Hanumanthaiya (My sore): Mr. Vice-President, Sir, the amendment moved by Mr. Lari is sponsored on the ground of consideration and following progressive ideas. The abolition of capital sentence is a matter open to argumen t, and I wish to differ from him. We have to look at this problem from two points of view: one from the point of view of the convict himself and the other from the point of view of the State. From the point of view of the convict, I had an idea that the convict would relish a life sentence in preference to execution. Some days back, I happened to read one of Bernard Shaw's dramas ; it was Avery good drama concerning the great heroine of France and there she prefers to be burnt alive rather than be kept in prison for a life time. He brings out that idea very beautifully in the drama, I had to change my opinion that the convict would prefer to be kept alive almost untouched by social inter course and aloof behind the pr...

हमारा संविधान - सरल  प्रश्न और उत्तर (4) संविधान सभा के महत्वपूर्ण तथ्य क्र . सं . प्रश्न उत्तर 1. भारत के विभाजन के पहले संविधान सभा के सदस्यों की संख्या क्या थी ? 389 2. भारत के विभाजन के बाद संविधान सभा के सदस्यों की संख्या क्या थी ? 299 3. हैदराबाद राज्य की प्रतिनिधि संख्या क्या थी ? 16 4. क्या यह सही है कि हैदराबाद राज्य से किसी भी प्रतिनिधि ने संविधान सभा में भाग नहीं लिया ? नहीं 5. जम्मू और कश्मीर राज्य की प्रतिनिधि संख्या क्या थी ? चार 6. क्या यह सही है कि संविधान सभा के कार्रवाई के दौरान कुछ माननीय सदस्य देवलोक हो गए थे। हां 7. क्या यह सही है संविधान सभा द्वारा गठित समितियों में सदस्य संविधान सभा के सदस्य नहीं थे ? हां 8. क्या यह सही है कि सर बी . एम . राव सं...