Unbounded Realms

  Making of the Constitution Emergence of Constitutional Aspirations in Colonial India The idea of a Constituent Assembly in India was first proposed by M.N. Roy in 1934. The Indian National Congress officially endorsed the demand in 1935, emphasizing the need for Indians to frame their own Constitution. In 1938, Jawaharlal Nehru asserted that the Constitution of free India must be framed without external interference and through an assembly elected by adult franchise. The British Government acknowledged this demand in principle through the August Offer of 1940. In 1942, the Cripps Mission proposed an independent Constitution after World War II, but it was rejected by the Muslim League, which demanded two separate Constituent Assemblies for Hindus and Muslims. Finally, the Cabinet Mission (1946), comprising Pethick Lawrence, Stafford Cripps, and A.V. Alexander, rejected the idea of two assemblies but proposed a single Constituent Assembly with groupings to address communal concern...

  Evolution of Constitutional Reforms in British India The British presence in India began in 1600 with the establishment of the East India Company, which received a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I granting it exclusive trading rights. Initially a commercial enterprise, the Company gradually evolved into a political force, notably after acquiring the diwani —or rights over revenue collection and civil justice—of Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1765 through the Treaty of Allahabad after the Battle of Buxar. This marked the beginning of its transformation into a territorial power, laying the foundation for formal colonial rule. The trajectory of British governance in India can be broadly divided into two distinct phases:  the Company Rule (1773–1858) and  the Crown Rule (1858–1947).  The Company Rule witnessed a series of legislative and administrative reforms that aimed to centralize authority and establish British supremacy. These included the Regulating Act of 1...