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On which date did the Constituent Assembly adopt the Constitution of India, at the end of the third reading?
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Answer: Option B — 26 November 1949
Detailed Solution
The Constituent Assembly adopted (passed) the Constitution of India on 26 November 1949, at the end of the third reading of the Draft Constitution.
The adoption:
- On that day, the President of the Assembly announced that the Constitution had been adopted.
- The Preamble of the Constitution itself records this date: "In our Constituent Assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution".
Provisions that came into force at once:
- Some provisions of the Constitution came into force immediately on 26 November 1949.
- These included the provisions on citizenship, elections, the provisional Parliament, temporary and transitional provisions, and the short title.
- The remaining provisions came into force later, when the Constitution commenced.
Constitution Day:
- Every year, 26 November is observed as "Constitution Day" (Samvidhan Divas), to promote awareness of the Constitution.
- It was earlier observed as "National Law Day".
Dr. Ambedkar's final speech:
On 25 November 1949, Dr. Ambedkar made his famous closing speech in the Assembly.
He warned against the "grammar of anarchy", by which he meant unconstitutional methods such as civil disobedience and satyagraha, which were no longer justified when constitutional methods were available.
He warned against "bhakti" or hero-worship in politics.
He said that India must make its political democracy a social democracy, which recognises liberty, equality and fraternity as the principles of life.
He said that "however good a constitution may be, it is sure to turn out bad because those who are called to work it happen to be a bad lot", and that a bad constitution could turn out good if those who work it are good.
The stages of the Draft Constitution:
- The first reading began in November 1948.
- The second reading (clause-by-clause discussion) took most of 1949.
- The third reading was held in November 1949.
Why not the other options?
- ✗15 August 1949, 2 October 1949 and 9 December 1949 are not the date of the adoption of the Constitution.
Quick tip
Remember: Constitution adopted on 26 November 1949 (now Constitution Day); the Preamble records this date of adoption.
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Making & Sources of the Constitution — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Making & Sources of the Constitution, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers how the Indian Constitution was made: the Constituent Assembly, its committees and members, the drafting process and key dates, and the features India borrowed from other constitutions, such as the parliamentary system from Britain and Fundamental Rights from the USA. Exams frequently ask who chaired the Drafting Committee (B. R. Ambedkar), who was President of the Constituent Assembly (Rajendra Prasad), and when the Constitution was adopted (26 November 1949) and came into force (26 January 1950). Questions on borrowed features are very common, so learn a table of features and their source countries. Practise the making of the Constitution questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.