When was the third reading of the Indian Constituent Assembly started?

Q – When was the third reading of the Indian Constituent Assembly started?

(a) 14 November, 1949

(b) 14 November, 1948

(d) 25th November, 1949

U.P.P.S.C. (R.L.) 2014

Ans. (*)

Explanation – The third reading of the Constitution by Constituent Assembly was started on 14 November, 1949 and completed on 26 November, 1949. Hence, none of the given options are correct.

Enactment of the Constitution

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar introduced the final draft of the Constitution in the Assembly on November 4, 1948 (first reading).

The Assembly had a general discussion on it for five days (till November 9, 1948).
The second reading (clause by clause consideration) started on November 15, 1948, and ended on October 17, 1949. During this stage, as many as 7653 amendments were proposed and 2473 were actually discussed in the Assembly.
The third reading of the draft started on November 14, 1949. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar moved a motion-‘the Constitution as settled by the Assembly be passed’. The motion on Draft Constitution was declared as passed on November 26, 1949, and received the signa- tures of the members and the president. Out of a total 299 members of the Assembly, only 284 were actually present on that day and signed the Constitution. This is also the date mentioned in the Preamble as the date on which the people of India in the Constituent Assembly adopted, enacted and gave to themselves this Constitution.

The Constitution as adopted on November 26, 1949, contained a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules. The Preamble was enacted after the entire Constitution was already enacted.

Source : Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth