INDIA became independent from British rule “at the stroke of the midnight hour” on this day in 1947.
Those words, spoken by Jawaharlal Nehru during a speech delivered the day before Independence Day, ushered in a new era for the country which had awoken to “life and freedom” after 89 years of British colonial rule.
They are stirring words and they’d have to be to spur on the officials and politicians working against the chaotic and tragic backdrop of the partition to create a new country.
India already had a legislature in the form of the Imperial Legislative Council (which also served what would become Pakistan), but this gave way to the Constituent Assembly of India, founded in the December before independence.
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Members were tasked with drawing up a constitution for the nascent state, a process which took around four years.
They were led by the first president of India Rajendra Prasad and advised by the constitutional expert Benegal Narsing Rau, who was the foremost Indian jurist of his time.
Around a week after the assembly was convened, members unanimously agreed an Objective Resolution laid down by Nehru, which would become the preamble to the constitution of India.
A fortnight after independence, a drafting committee was appointed to write the constitution, which was chaired by Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
The seven-strong group took just under a year to write the document – though the process haunted Ambedkar, who later claimed he wanted to burn it, adding: “It does not suit anybody.”
Nonetheless, it was accepted by the Constituent Assembly and all 395 articles were signed and accepted by all parties on January 24, 1950 before coming into force two days later.
It provides for the fundamental rights of all Indians and outlawed all forms of discrimination in a country wracked with caste prejudice.
The constitution also ended the Constituent Assembly and created the Parliament of India, a bicameral legislature based on the Westminster system.
Currency
Despite hopes by the British to impose the pound sterling in India, the country managed to hold onto the rupee.
The country has had its own central bank since 1934, when the Reserve Bank of India was created by the British parliament.
It was originally set up as a shareholder-owned bank but was nationalised by Nerhu’s government in 1949.
The bank is responsible for regulating the issue of banknotes, maintaining currency reserves and monetary policy.
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