SSC
Who was the Constitutional Adviser (legal adviser) to the Constituent Assembly of India?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — B.N. Rau
Detailed Solution
Rau. Sir Benegal Narsing Rau (1887-1953) was an Indian civil servant, jurist and diplomat. He was appointed the Constitutional Adviser to the Constituent Assembly in 1946.
Rau played a key role in the making of the Constitution. He studied the constitutions of many countries and, in 1946-47, visited the USA, Canada, Ireland and the UK to consult judges, scholars and experts. In October 1947, he prepared the first draft of the Constitution, with 243 articles and 13 schedules. This draft was then examined, revised and expanded by the Drafting Committee, chaired by Dr B.R. Ambedkar. Ambedkar acknowledged Rau's contribution in his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949, giving credit to Rau for preparing the rough draft.
Rau later served as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1950-52) and was President of the UN Security Council in June 1950. He was elected a judge of the International Court of Justice at The Hague in 1952 and served until his death in 1953.
Other important officials of the Constituent Assembly:
S.N. Mukherjee was the Chief Draftsman, responsible for putting the complex proposals into precise legal language.
H.V.R. Iyengar was the Secretary of the Constituent Assembly.
Prem Behari Narain Raizada handwrote the original English Constitution in a flowing italic style, and Vasant Krishan Vaidya calligraphed the Hindi version.
The pages were decorated by artists from Shantiniketan, led by Nandalal Bose.
The Drafting Committee, set up on 29 August 1947, had seven members: Dr B.R. Ambedkar (Chairman), N. Gopalaswamy Ayyangar, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar, K.M. Munshi, Syed Mohammad Saadullah, N. Madhava Rau (who replaced B.L. Mitter) and T.T. Krishnamachari (who replaced D.P. Khaitan after his death).
Why not the other options?
S.N. Mukherjee was the Chief Draftsman.
K.M. Munshi and Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer were members of the Drafting Committee.
Quick tip
Remember: B.N. Rau = Constitutional Adviser (first draft, October 1947); S.N. Mukherjee = Chief Draftsman; Ambedkar = Chairman of the Drafting Committee (7 members, set up 29 August 1947).
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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.