CAD Third Reading and Adoption of the Constitution

CAD third reading refers to the final stage of the Constituent Assembly's passage of the Draft Constitution — the sitting in which the House voted on the completed document as a whole and formally adopted it on 26 November 1949. It followed the clause-by-clause "second reading" and marked the legal culmination of nearly three years of constitution-making, after which the text moved toward signing and, eventually, commencement on 26 January 1950.

From Draft to Final Reading

The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan, with an original strength of 389 members — 296 from British India (292 from the eleven Governors' Provinces and 4 from the Chief Commissioners' Provinces) and 93 from the princely states. Elections held in July–August 1946 gave the Indian National Congress 208 seats and the Muslim League 73 seats; the 93 seats reserved for princely states initially stayed unfilled because most states kept away from the process. After Partition, and the departure of members who joined Pakistan's separate Constituent Assembly, the House's working strength came down to 299 members by the time the Constitution was finally adopted.

Drafting the text was entrusted to the Drafting Committee, appointed on 29 August 1947 under the chairmanship of Dr B R Ambedkar. Its Draft Constitution was published in February 1948 and then debated clause by clause, amendment by amendment, in what the Assembly treated as its second reading. More than 2,000 amendments were moved and considered during this stage, which concluded on 17 October 1949.

The Third Reading and Final Passage

With the second reading over, the Assembly moved to its concluding sitting — the Eleventh Session, held from 14 to 26 November 1949 — to give the completed draft a final reading and vote on it as a whole, without reopening individual clauses. This concluding vote is what is referred to as the third reading. It came after ten earlier sessions stretching back to December 1946, each of which had shaped part of the eventual text.

Session	Period
First	9–23 December 1946
Second	20–25 January 1947
Third	28 April – 2 May 1947
Fourth	14–31 July 1947
Fifth	14–30 August 1947
Sixth	27 January 1948
Seventh	4 November 1948 – 8 January 1949
Eighth	16 May – 16 June 1949
Ninth	30 July – 18 September 1949
Tenth	6–17 October 1949
Eleventh	14–26 November 1949

Adoption on 26 November 1949

The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution of India on 26 November 1949. As adopted, the document carried a Preamble, 395 Articles and 8 Schedules. Notably, the Preamble itself was enacted only after the rest of the Constitution had already been passed — the Assembly took it up as the final item, so that it stood as a statement of values attached to a text that was, by then, otherwise complete. Of the members of the House, 284 were present that day and put their signatures to the Constitution. The Assembly convened once more, on 24 January 1950, for the remaining signatures to be appended to the final document.

From Adoption to Commencement

Adoption and signing were distinct from commencement. The Constitution that was adopted and signed in 1949–50 came into force only on 26 January 1950, a date chosen to mark the anniversary of the Purna Swaraj (complete independence) resolution and now observed as Republic Day. Taken together, the framing of the Constitution had proceeded over roughly three years, across eleven sessions, with thousands of amendments considered before the final text was reached.

Significance of the Debates

The proceedings of the third reading, like the rest of the Assembly's work, are preserved in the Constituent Assembly Debates — twelve substantial volumes recording the discussions verbatim, which continue to be used by courts and scholars to read the intent behind constitutional provisions. Across its sessions, the Assembly's debates ranged over panchayati raj, federalism, fundamental rights, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the official language question, reflecting a deliberate effort to build a framework for democratic decentralisation while protecting minority interests. During the Assembly's proceedings, Mahatma Gandhi's own 1922 formulation of the idea was recalled: Swaraj, he had said, "will not be a free gift of the British Parliament" but "a declaration of India's full self-expression," to be ratified, as in the Union of South Africa, by an Act of Parliament following a declaration by the people of India.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

Date of adoption of the Constitution: 26 November 1949; date of commencement: 26 January 1950.
Original strength of the Constituent Assembly (389) versus its strength at adoption (299).
Number of members who signed on adoption day (284); composition of the adopted text (Preamble, 395 Articles, 8 Schedules).
Chronology: Drafting Committee (29 August 1947) → Draft published (February 1948) → second reading completed (17 October 1949) → third reading and adoption (26 November 1949).

Mains

The Constituent Assembly Debates as an interpretive aid to understanding the intent behind constitutional provisions.
The gap between adoption (26 November 1949) and commencement (26 January 1950), and its symbolic link to the Purna Swaraj resolution.
How Partition and the resulting fall in Assembly strength (389 to 299) shaped the composition of the House that finally adopted the Constitution.

FAQ

Q1. What does "CAD third reading" mean? It refers to the concluding sitting of the Constituent Assembly at which the completed Draft Constitution — already scrutinised clause by clause in the second reading — was put to the House and adopted as a whole.

Q2. On what date was the Constitution of India adopted? The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution on 26 November 1949, during its Eleventh Session.

Q3. How many members signed the Constitution, and when? 284 members present on 26 November 1949 signed the Constitution; the Assembly met once again on 24 January 1950 for the remaining members to append their signatures.

Q4. Why is the Preamble said to have been enacted after the rest of the Constitution? The Assembly took up and enacted the Preamble as its final item of business, after the substantive Articles and Schedules had already been passed, so it stands as a statement of values for an otherwise completed document.

Q5. Did the Constitution come into force on the day it was adopted? No. It was adopted on 26 November 1949 but came into force separately, on 26 January 1950, the date now celebrated as Republic Day.

Quick Revision

Constituent Assembly formed: November 1946, under the Cabinet Mission Plan.
Original strength: 389; reduced to 299 after Partition.
Drafting Committee appointed: 29 August 1947, chaired by Dr B R Ambedkar.
Draft Constitution published: February 1948.
Second reading completed: 17 October 1949.
Third reading and adoption: 26 November 1949, Eleventh Session (14–26 November 1949).
Adopted Constitution: Preamble + 395 Articles + 8 Schedules; 284 members signed that day.
Further signing session: 24 January 1950.
Constitution came into force: 26 January 1950 (Republic Day).
Debates preserved in: 12 volumes of the Constituent Assembly Debates.

Sources

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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Constituent Assembly Debates: Third Reading and Adoption

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