# Canonical recap data for Indian Independence Proclaimed (1950)
# Source: https://recap.at/1950/india-republic-day
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: india-republic-day
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1950/india-republic-day"
title: Indian Independence Proclaimed
aliases:
- Republic Day
- Indian Constitution adoption
- Indian Republic proclaimed
- 26 January 1950
subtitle: India adopted its Constitution and became a sovereign democratic republic, establishing the world's largest parliamentary democracy.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1950-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1950
decade: 1950
country:
name: India
slug: india
summaryShort: The Indian independence movement was a series of political efforts from mid-1880s to 1947, that took place in the Indian subcontinent with the aim of ending British colonial rule.
summaryLong: The Indian independence movement was a series of political efforts from mid-1880s to 1947, that took place in the Indian subcontinent with the aim of ending British colonial rule.
lede: On January 26, 1950, India formally adopted its constitution and became a sovereign democratic republic, ending nearly two centuries of British colonial rule. The moment capped a decades-long independence movement led by figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, transforming the subcontinent into the world's largest democracy. It mattered because it reshaped global geopolitics and established a model for postcolonial governance that would influence independence movements across Asia and Africa.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/India%2C_by_British_Information_Services%2C_1944_restored_version.jpg/1280px-India%2C_by_British_Information_Services%2C_1944_restored_version.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Indian independence movement"
importance: 83
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Constitution length
  value: 395 articles and 8 schedules—the world's longest written constitution
- label: Drafting duration
  value: 2 years 11 months, from December 1947 to November 1949
- label: Constituent Assembly members
  value: 389 voting members
- label: Universal suffrage eligibility
  value: All adults age 21 and over, regardless of literacy, caste, or property
- label: First President
  value: Rajendra Prasad, sworn in January 26, 1950
- label: Primary Constitution drafter
  value: B.R. Ambedkar, chair of the Drafting Committee
- label: Official language adopted
  value: Hindi, with English retained as associate official language
timeline:
- date: 1947-08-15
  title: Indian independence from Britain
  description: Britain granted independence, but India remained a dominion within the Commonwealth. Jawaharlal Nehru became Prime Minister.
- date: 1947-12-09
  title: Constituent Assembly begins drafting constitution
  description: B.R. Ambedkar chairs the Drafting Committee to create India's constitutional framework. The assembly had been reconstituted after partition.
- date: 1949-11-26
  title: Constitution adopted by Constituent Assembly
  description: The assembly formally approves the completed constitution after two years of debate and drafting. Dr. Rajendra Prasad signs as President of the Assembly.
- date: 1950-01-26
  title: Republic Day proclaimed
  description: India's constitution comes into force at 26 minutes past midnight. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as first President. The date is chosen to commemorate the Purna Swaraj declaration of 1930.
- date: 1950-01-26
  title: First Republic Day celebrations
  description: Parades and ceremonies held across India. The event establishes January 26 as the national holiday commemorating the republic.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement"
  title: Indian independence movement
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: India's transition from dominion to republic established the world's largest democracy and created a constitutional blueprint for emerging nations. The moment reordered global power, signaling the definitive end of European colonialism in Asia and inspiring independence struggles across the developing world. Nehru's vision of a secular, federal republic with universal suffrage set the terms for postcolonial nation-building for generations.
categories:
- election
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- independence_declaration
- constitutional_reform
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- transformation
- governance
- creation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: India proclaimed a sovereign democratic republic on January 26, 1950, ending British colonial rule and becoming the world's largest democracy.
wikidataQid: Q12444025
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260530005602/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-30
  label: Indian independence movement
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_independence_movement"
