Drafting Committee, Formation, Members, Challenges, Criticism

Q: Who chaired the Drafting Committee of India?

Dr. B. R. Ambedkar served as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee.

Q: When was the Drafting Committee formed?

It was established on August 29, 1947.

Q: How many members were initially in the Drafting Committee?

The committee initially had seven members.

Q: When was the final draft of the Constitution completed?

The final draft was completed on October 17, 1949.

Q: What was the main objective of the Drafting Committee?

To prepare a Constitution reflecting India’s diversity, ensuring justice, equality, liberty, and social welfare.

Table of Contents☰

The Drafting Committee was one of the major committees of the Constituent Assembly of India. It was tasked with framing the Constitution of independent India, ensuring that the nation became a sovereign and democratic republic. The committee embedded the core values of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity into the governance structure, while also considering India’s cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity.

Drafting Committee

The Committee served as the central body that synthesized proposals from various sub-committees, analyzed suggestions from members of the Constituent Assembly, and prepared drafts for discussion. The committee laid the foundation for a legal framework of India. It was part of the Constituent Assembly.

Drafting Committee Formation

The Drafting Committee was formed on 29 August 1947, shortly after India gained independence on 15 August 1947. The formation was recommended by the Constituent Assembly’s Steering Committee, chaired by Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The decision was formalized to assign the task of preparing a draft Constitution to a smaller, focused group with expertise in law, governance, and public administration.

Members of the Drafting Committee

The Drafting Committee had seven members, chaired by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, considered the “Father of the Indian Constitution.” Each member contributed uniquely to different aspects of the Constitution:

Members of the Drafting Committee
Member	Role & Contributions
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar	Chairman; led drafting of fundamental rights, directive principles, and social justice provisions
Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar	Legal expert; contributed to judicial and administrative provisions
N. Gopalaswami Ayyangar	Worked on federal structure and state reorganization
K. M. Munshi	Advocated for cultural preservation and fundamental rights
Mohammad Saadulla	Focused on minority rights and regional interests
B. L. Mitter / N. Madhava Rau	Legal and administrative contributions, replaced resigning members
D. P. Khaitan / T. T. Krishnamachari	Assisted in drafting, replaced members as necessary

Drafting Committee Objectives

The Drafting Committee was guided by the following objectives:

Draft a Constitution suitable for India’s socio-political diversity.
Safeguard individual rights through Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy.
Ensure a federal structure balancing central and state powers.
Promote social justice, minority rights, and affirmative action.
Establish strong governance institutions with checks and balances between Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary.

Process of Drafting of the Constitution

The drafting of the Indian Constitution was carried out in well-defined stages, beginning with the Objectives Resolution in 1946 and culminating in its adoption in 1949. The timeline below highlights the major steps:

Drafting of the Indian Constitution
Stage	Title	Date	Key Highlights
Stage 1	First Session of Constituent Assembly	13 Dec 1946 – 22 Jan 1947	Nehru moved the Objectives Resolution on 13 Dec 1946; adopted on 22 Jan 1947, setting guiding principles for the Constitution.
Stage 2	Committee Stages & Second Session	27 Feb 1947 – 30 Aug 1947	Advisory Committee, Union Powers Committee, Provincial Constitution Committee submitted reports; debates concluded on 30 Aug 1947.
Stage 3	Draft by Constitutional Adviser (B. N. Rau)	1 Feb 1947 – 31 Oct 1947	B. N. Rau prepared the Draft Constitution, completed by Oct 1947 and submitted to Drafting Committee.
Stage 4	First Draft by Drafting Committee	27 Oct 1947 – 21 Feb 1948	Drafting Committee, chaired by Ambedkar, revised Rau’s draft; First Draft submitted on 21 Feb 1948.
Stage 5	Public Circulation of Draft	21 Feb 1948 – 26 Oct 1948	Draft Constitution circulated for feedback; Special Committee reviewed suggestions; revised draft re-submitted on 26 Oct 1948.
Stage 6	Draft Presented to Assembly	4 Nov 1948	Dr. B. R. Ambedkar introduced the Draft Constitution in the Constituent Assembly.
Stage 7	First Reading (Clause-by-Clause Debates)	15 Nov 1948 – 17 Oct 1949	Assembly held extensive debates, with over 2,000 amendments proposed and discussed article by article.
Stage 8	Revision & Second Reading	3 Nov 1949 – 16 Nov 1949	Drafting Committee revised Constitution as per debates; Second Reading held from 14–16 Nov 1949.
Stage 9	Third Reading	17 Nov 1949 – 26 Nov 1949	Final speeches and general comments; Constitution adopted on 26 Nov 1949.
Stage 10	Enactment & Adoption	24 Jan 1950 – 26 Jan 1950	Constitution signed by members on 24 Jan 1950; came into effect on 26 Jan 1950 (Republic Day).

First Draft (21 February 1948)

The Drafting Committee, chaired by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, presented the first draft on 21 February 1948. It had 315 Articles and 8 Schedules. This draft was circulated for public discussion, attracting over 7,000 comments from provincial assemblies, legal experts, and the public, shaping future revisions.

Second Draft (21 October 1948)

The second draft was introduced in the Constituent Assembly on 21 October 1948. It reflected changes from public feedback and Assembly debates. Members deliberated extensively on fundamental rights, the federal system, and emergency provisions. This draft remained open for detailed discussions until November 1949.

Third Draft (Feb – Oct, 1949)

Between February and October 1949, the Drafting Committee submitted the third draft after considering nearly 2,000 amendments moved in the Assembly. Key debates covered the national language, separation of powers, minority rights, and the judiciary’s role, bringing the Constitution close to its final shape.

Final Draft (26 November 1949)

On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly formally adopted the final Constitution with 395 Articles, 22 Parts, and 8 Schedules. The process had taken 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days. This date is now observed as Constitution Day in India.

Signature (24 January 1950)

On 24 January 1950, 284 of 299 members of the Constituent Assembly signed the final handwritten copies in English and Hindi. Two days later, on 26 January 1950, the Constitution came into effect, marking India’s transition to a sovereign democratic republic.

Challenges Faced by Drafting Committee

The drafting committee although being filled with the members belonging to Political and Legal backgrounds faced several challenges while drafting of the constitution as given below:

Balancing linguistic, religious, and cultural differences.
Fundamental Rights vs Directive Principles while Ensuring social justice without compromising liberty.
Confusion in Federal vs Unitary Structure while determining power distribution between Union and States.
Adapting and integrating ideas from other constitutions to suit Indian context.
Drafting amid post-independence economic and political instability.

Criticism of Drafting Committee

In spite of various features and successful implementation of final draft, the drafting committee faced several backlashes including:

Limited representation, with only seven members, potentially reducing diversity of perspectives.
Dominant influence of the Chairman, Dr. Ambedkar, though positive for efficiency.
Too complex for the Public to understand.
Domination of Advocates and Politicians.
No representation of Woman.
Borrowing of Provisions
Excessive Restrictions on Fundamental Rights