June 3, 1947, he announced his plan proposing the partition of India into India and Pakistan as a solution to the Indian political problems. On the basis of the Mountbatten plan the Indian Independence Act was passed by the British Parliament. The Act terminated all the British Authority over India and provided for the establishment of two Dominions, Indian and Pakistan with effect from August 15, 1947
The Constituent Assembly appointed a Drafting Committee with Late Dr. Ambedkar, as chairman. Various sub-committees, such as, the Union Powers committee, the Provincial Constitution committee, the Advisory Committee on Minorities and Fundamental Rights, the Advisory Commi- ttee on Tribal Areas etc, were also set-up. The Drafting Committee considered the reports submitted by the sub-committees and prepared the final draft in the light of the suggestions made by these committees. The draft constitution was then discussed by the Constituent Assembly clause by clause and finally adopted on November 26, 1949. The new Constitu- tion of India came into force on January 26, 1950.
The Indian Constitution is perhaps the biggest written Constitution of the world. It contains 395 articles, 22 chapters and 8 schedules. It took nearly three years to draft and pass the Constitution. The Constitut- tion of India is not only a voluminous one, but is the most complex constitu- tion. It is dubbed as 'a paradise for lawyers.' It is said that amongst the constitutional, documents of the world it constitutes a kind by itself.
The framers of the Constitution borrowed from the Constitutions of United Kingdom, U. S. A., Canada, Australia and Ireland. They were largely influenced by the Government of India Act, 1935. Critics even point out that in some respects our Constitution is a curbon copy of the Government of India Act 1935.
Both the Government of India Act and the Constitution of India embody federal form of government. In both, the centre is very strong as against the units. The three lists of subjects on which the division of powers between the centre and the units is based are almost the same. The powers of the Governor General and the Governors under the Act of 1935 of making ordinances have been retained as before in the hands of the President and the Governors.
It is undeniable that the new Constitution has many similarities with the Act of 1935, but it has in many respects dissimilarities too. Unlike the
