# Canonical recap data for Indian Constitution Adopted (1950)
# Source: https://recap.at/1950/indian-constitution-adopted
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: indian-constitution-adopted
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1950/indian-constitution-adopted"
title: Indian Constitution Adopted
aliases:
- Indian Constitution Day
- Republic Day
- Samvidhaan Divas
- Constitution of India adoption
subtitle: India's constitution established the world's largest democratic republic, institutionalizing universal suffrage across a newly independent, religiously diverse nation.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1950-01-26
datePrecision: day
year: 1950
decade: 1950
country:
name: India
slug: india
summaryShort: The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive p
summaryLong: The Constitution of India is the supreme legal document of India, and the longest written national constitution in the world. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens.
lede: On January 26, 1950, India adopted the world's longest written constitution, a 395-page document that transformed the newly independent nation from a British dominion into a sovereign democratic republic. Drafted by a 299-member Constituent Assembly led by B.R. Ambedkar, the constitution established a federal system, universal adult suffrage, and fundamental rights for all citizens—a radical step in a country where most people were illiterate and deeply divided by caste, religion, and language.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Constitution_of_India.jpg/1280px-Constitution_of_India.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Constitution of India"
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Constituent Assembly members
  value: "299"
- label: Constitution pages
  value: "395"
- label: Languages the constitution was officially produced in
  value: 2 (English and Hindi)
- label: Time from independence to constitution adoption
  value: 2 years, 10 months (August 15, 1947 to January 26, 1950)
- label: Drafting duration
  value: 2 years, 11 months, 18 days
- label: Articles in original constitution
  value: "395"
- label: Literacy rate in India at adoption
  value: 12%
- label: Universal adult suffrage voting age set in constitution
  value: 21 years
timeline:
- date: 1947-08-15
  title: Indian Independence
  description: India gains independence from British rule; Jawaharlal Nehru becomes Prime Minister. The Constituent Assembly begins work on a permanent constitution for the new nation.
- date: 1947-12-09
  title: Constituent Assembly formally begins constitution drafting
  description: The Constituent Assembly, chaired by Rajendra Prasad, officially convenes to draft India's permanent constitution. B.R. Ambedkar is appointed chair of the Drafting Committee.
- date: 1948-11-26
  title: Draft constitution presented
  description: B.R. Ambedkar presents the completed draft constitution to the Constituent Assembly after nearly two years of deliberation, incorporating input from 299 members representing India's diverse regions, religions, and castes.
- date: 1949-01-25
  title: Final constitution approved
  description: The Constituent Assembly gives final approval to the constitution after extensive debate and amendment. Dr. Rajendra Prasad signs the Preamble as President of India.
- date: 1950-01-26
  title: Constitution of India comes into force
  description: The Constitution of India is formally adopted, transforming India into a sovereign democratic republic. Dr. Rajendra Prasad is sworn in as the first President. January 26 is declared Republic Day, celebrated annually as a national holiday.
- date: 1950-03-26
  title: First amendment enacted
  description: The constitution's first amendment is ratified, addressing land reform issues and restricting certain fundamental rights—beginning a pattern of amendments that would eventually number in the dozens.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India"
  title: Indian Constitution
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: India's constitution created the institutional scaffolding for the world's largest democracy and set a precedent for post-colonial nations building representative governments from scratch. By enshrining universal suffrage and fundamental rights before the country had achieved basic literacy or economic development, it bet on democratic inclusion as a force for social transformation—a gamble that held, despite decades of turbulence.
categories:
- election
- festival
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- constitutional_reform
- independence_declaration
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: systemic
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: India adopts world's longest constitution on January 26, 1950, establishing universal suffrage and fundamental rights.
wikidataQid: Q477108
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260514135902/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-14
  label: Indian Constitution
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_India"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly
  voiceType: official
  context: Speaking at the formal adoption ceremony on January 26, 1950, Prasad articulated the historic significance of India's new legal foundation.
  excerpt: We have now to work the constitution ourselves and to make it a living reality. It is a responsibility which is placed on all of us, the whole nation.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 92
  attribution: Constituent Assembly of India, official proceedings
  publishedAt: 1950-01-26
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee
  voiceType: expert
  context: Ambedkar warned of democratic fragility in his closing remarks to the Assembly, expressing both pride and caution about India's constitutional future.
  excerpt: The Constitution is merely a lawyer's document. It cannot hold the country together if there are fissiparous tendencies among the people.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 88
  attribution: Constituent Assembly closing speech
  publishedAt: 1950-01-25
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India
  voiceType: official
  context: Nehru framed the constitution as India's answer to colonialism, asserting national sovereignty at the moment of adoption.
  excerpt: We have given ourselves a constitution which seeks to establish social democracy and political democracy in this country.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 90
  attribution: Speech to the nation, January 26, 1950
  publishedAt: 1950-01-26
  originalLanguage: en
- source: The Times of India Editorial Board
  voiceType: media
  context: India's leading English-language newspaper assessed the constitution's ambitions and challenges on adoption day.
  excerpt: India embarks today on an unprecedented experiment in democracy - a vast nation of 350 million, riven by caste, creed and language, bound by words on parchment.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 75
  attribution: The Times of India, Editorial, January 26, 1950
  publishedAt: 1950-01-26
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Deputy Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Patel emphasized the unifying force of the constitution in binding together India's diverse princely states and regions.
  excerpt: This constitution will hold this country together as a single nation and ensure that no part is left behind in the march towards progress.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Government of India statements, January 1950
  publishedAt: 1950-01-26
  originalLanguage: en
