Indian Polity: Committees of the Indian Constitution

Committees of the Indian Constitution

1. The Constituent Assembly appointed several committees for framing the constitution. Some of the important committees were:
2. Union powers committee of members chaired by Jawaharlal Nehru.
3. The committee on Fundamental Rights and minorities of 54 members chaired by Sardar Patel.
4. The committee on Union constitution of 15 members with Jawaharlal Nehru-as Chairman.
5. The provincial constitution committee of 25 members chaired by K.R. Munshi.
6. These committees submitted their reports between April & August 1947.
7. This draft contained 240 clauses and 13 schedules in order to consider the Draft constitution; a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was set up.
8. While the formal centers of the work of drafting the constitution were no doubt the Constituent Assembly and Drafting Committee, the Congress leaders held the important powers of decision-making.
9. In a way the Congress Working Committee was the real architect of the constitution in that most of the important decisions were arrived at on the basis of what the Congress leaders suggested.
10. Granvile Austin points out those four men – Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad and Abul Kalam Azad – constituted a virtual oligarchy in the Assembly and dominated the proceedings by virtue of the prestige and power they enjoyed both in the Congress and in the Government.

Important Committees of the Constituent Assembly

IMPORTANT COMMITTEES OF THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY AND THEIR CHAIRMEN
Name of the Committee	Chairman
1.     Committee on the Rules of Procedure	Rajendra Prasad
2.     Steering Committee	Rajendra Prasad
3.     Finance and Staff Committee	Rajendra Prasad
4.     Credential Committee	Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar
5.     House Committee	B. Pattabhi Sitaramayya
6.     Order of Business Committee	K.M. Munsi
7.     Ad hoc Committee on the National Flag	Rajendra Prasad
8.     Committee on the Functions of the Constituent          Assembly	G.V. Mavalankar
9.     States Committee	Jawaharlal Nehru
10.    Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights,             Minoritiesand Tribal and Excluded Areas	Vallabhbhai Patel
11.   Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee	J.B. Kripalani
12.  North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam               Exluded & Partially Excluded Areas Sub-                   Committee	Gopinath Bardoloi
13.   Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other            than those in Assam) Sub-Committee	A.V. Thakkar
14.  Union Powers Committee	Jawaharlal Nehru
15.    Union Constitution Committee	Jawaharlal Nehru
16.   Drafting Committee	B.R. Ambedkar