A newly established Constituent Assembly was convened in December 1946 to discuss and draft a constitution for a soon-to-be independent India. The discussion lasted for two years, eleven months, and seventeen days. It was an unprecedented enterprise that would test a nation’s capacity for self-governance. 15 women out of the 299 assembly members left their mark on the formation of the republic by being elected or chosen to represent their provinces. They could make their equality known and create a republic which was politically balanced from the assembly. Despite not being known that much, they have played a very important role in the drafting of the Indian Constitution. These women were also involved in our fight for freedom which makes them freedom fighters. Apart from being freedom fighters, they were lawyers, revolutionists, Suffragettes and politicians. They were sent to jail during the Dandi march and the protest against the Simon commission. These women debated in favour of minority rights, an independent judiciary, etc. This Article will discuss these 15 women who played an important role in the debate and drafting of the Constitution of India.
A discussion about the women of the Constituent Assembly
Starting with Dakshayani Velayudhan, she was one of the fifteen from the Pulaya community-based in Cochin. She was the first educated woman in her community who wore ‘upper cloth’. As the first and only Dalit woman in the assembly, she addressed many caste-related issues that were persistent in society along with Dr B.R. Ambedkar. She was also the youngest member of the assembly at the age of 34.
Hansa Jivraj Mehta was elected from Bombay and served as a member of the Advisory Committee, the Provincial Constitutional Committee, and the Fundamental Rights Sub-committee. Mehta presented the national flag to the assembly on August 15, 1947, just after midnight, on behalf of the “women of India”—the first flag to fly over an independent India. She and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur fought for the Uniform Civil Code and formed the Indian Women’s Charter of Rights and Duties (UCC). She considered herself a feminist and actively participated in the women’s movement that fought for the Devadasi system, the Sarda Act, greater educational opportunities for women, and personal law reforms. In an effort to make the UCC a legally enforceable provision of the Constitution, she also started a series of debates in the Constituent Assembly. Mehta, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Ambedkar, and Manoo Masani all had the firm belief that it is the duty of the state to create a single Indian identity rather than a variety of frequently conflicting cultural and religious identities. Their request to pass this as a right, however, was denied.
Ammu Swaminathan, who was elected from the Madras Constituency, allied with Ambedkar on a number of caste-related issues and was a strong supporter of its abolition. Because she belonged to an upper caste, Ammu understood the negative effects of caste and even criticised Jawahar Lal Nehru for his response to Panditji, which she considered an example of superior class dominance.
The only Muslim woman among the fifteen was Begum Aizaz Rasul, who represented U.P. in the Constituent Committee of India. She was one of the rare women who successfully ran for election from a non-reserved seat and was elected to the U.P. legislative assembly. She comes from a family of powerful taluqdars in Oudh (UP). She was always involved in politics during her lifetime. In 1952, she won a seat in the Rajya Sabha. She served as the Minister for Social Welfare and Minorities from 1969 until 1971. She received a Padma Bhushan in 2000 for her services in social work.
The only female member of the Panel of Chairmen in the Constituent Assembly was Durgabai Deshmukh. She was influential in the enactment of numerous social welfare policies. She also suggested that Hindustani (Hindi + Urdu) be designated as India’s national tongue.
Kamla Chaudhary struggled to complete her education despite coming from a wealthy family in Lucknow. She was among the most active female participants in the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement. She was imprisoned by the British authorities multiple times. She was appointed as the vice president during the 54th Congress meeting in Meerut in 1946. She served in the Constituent Assembly from 1947 to 1952. In addition to being a prolific writer, she also wrote extensively about issues such as gender inequality, the exploitation of peasants, and the plight of widows in society.
Feminist Leela Roy frequently demonstrated and fought for what was right. She devoted herself to social work and education for girls from an early age, promoted career training, and emphasised the importance of girls learning martial arts so that they could protect themselves. She founded a lot of institutions and schools for women over the years.
Malati Choudhary was a socialist whose fight for morally righteous behaviour extended beyond winning the country’s freedom. She was imprisoned for her protests against Indira Gandhi’s imposed Emergency.
Purnima Bannerjee was one of the most determined women elected from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh (now Prayagraj), and she made significant contributions to rural involvement. She participated in the Quit India Movement and the Salt March, and as a result, she was put in jail.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who founded the All India Institute of Medical Science and pushed for its autonomy, is from the princely state of Punjab. She was adamantly pro-involvement of women in sports, medicine, and health. She founded the Tuberculosis Association of India, the Central Leprosy and Research Institute, served as vice-chair of the League of Red Cross Societies Board of Governors, and chaired the St. John’s Ambulance Society Executive Committee.
West Bengal native Renuka Ray was a fervent supporter of gender parity. Renuka argued in favour of a unified personal law code by pointing out the unfairness of Indian women’s status. Perhaps Sarojini Naidu is one of the most recognizable names from the drafting committee. She is frequently referred to as the “Nightingale of India.” She was the first Indian woman to hold the positions of the Governor of a state and President of the Indian National Congress. She was noted for her literary talent and was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Literature, in addition to her outstanding work in the area of women’s empowerment.
In 1942, Sucheta Kriplani, born in modern-day Haryana, played a crucial part in the Quit India Movement. She was also in charge of starting the INC’s Women Wing in 1940. When she replaced Chandra Bhanu Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) in 1963, she became India’s first female chief minister. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the sister of Jawahar Lal Nehru and began her political career early and completed three jail terms while living under British control. In 1953, she was elected as the first woman and the first Asian to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. Anne Mascarene was one of the first women to join the Travancore State Congress, who also became the first woman to serve on the Working Committee of the Travancore State Congress. She was a driving force behind the campaign in the Travancore State for Indian nationalism and independence.
In conclusion, it is very important to discuss the role of women in drafting our Constitution as they are not known to a lot of people and are not much discussed when it comes to the discussion about how our Constitution came into the picture.
*The Author: Pragya Chandni has completed her LL.M from Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla.
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author and not to the Jurisedge Academy.
You can access our Recent Legal News Archives and our Blogs on legal updates from around the globe.
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A newly established Constituent Assembly was convened in December 1946 to discuss and draft a constitution for a soon-to-be independent India. The discussion lasted for two years, eleven months, and seventeen days. It was an unprecedented enterprise that would test a nation’s capacity for self-governance. 15 women out of the 299 assembly members left their mark on the formation of the republic by being elected or chosen to represent their provinces. They could make their equality known and create a republic which was politically balanced from the assembly. Despite not being known that much, they have played a very important role in the drafting of the Indian Constitution. These women were also involved in our fight for freedom which makes them freedom fighters. Apart from being freedom fighters, they were lawyers, revolutionists, Suffragettes and politicians. They were sent to jail during the Dandi march and the protest against the Simon commission. These women debated in favour of minority rights, an independent judiciary, etc. This Article will discuss these 15 women who played an important role in the debate and drafting of the Constitution of India.
A discussion about the women of the Constituent Assembly
Starting with Dakshayani Velayudhan, she was one of the fifteen from the Pulaya community-based in Cochin. She was the first educated woman in her community who wore ‘upper cloth’. As the first and only Dalit woman in the assembly, she addressed many caste-related issues that were persistent in society along with Dr B.R. Ambedkar. She was also the youngest member of the assembly at the age of 34.
Hansa Jivraj Mehta was elected from Bombay and served as a member of the Advisory Committee, the Provincial Constitutional Committee, and the Fundamental Rights Sub-committee. Mehta presented the national flag to the assembly on August 15, 1947, just after midnight, on behalf of the “women of India”—the first flag to fly over an independent India. She and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur fought for the Uniform Civil Code and formed the Indian Women’s Charter of Rights and Duties (UCC). She considered herself a feminist and actively participated in the women’s movement that fought for the Devadasi system, the Sarda Act, greater educational opportunities for women, and personal law reforms. In an effort to make the UCC a legally enforceable provision of the Constitution, she also started a series of debates in the Constituent Assembly. Mehta, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Ambedkar, and Manoo Masani all had the firm belief that it is the duty of the state to create a single Indian identity rather than a variety of frequently conflicting cultural and religious identities. Their request to pass this as a right, however, was denied.
Ammu Swaminathan, who was elected from the Madras Constituency, allied with Ambedkar on a number of caste-related issues and was a strong supporter of its abolition. Because she belonged to an upper caste, Ammu understood the negative effects of caste and even criticised Jawahar Lal Nehru for his response to Panditji, which she considered an example of superior class dominance.
The only Muslim woman among the fifteen was Begum Aizaz Rasul, who represented U.P. in the Constituent Committee of India. She was one of the rare women who successfully ran for election from a non-reserved seat and was elected to the U.P. legislative assembly. She comes from a family of powerful taluqdars in Oudh (UP). She was always involved in politics during her lifetime. In 1952, she won a seat in the Rajya Sabha. She served as the Minister for Social Welfare and Minorities from 1969 until 1971. She received a Padma Bhushan in 2000 for her services in social work.
The only female member of the Panel of Chairmen in the Constituent Assembly was Durgabai Deshmukh. She was influential in the enactment of numerous social welfare policies. She also suggested that Hindustani (Hindi + Urdu) be designated as India’s national tongue.
Kamla Chaudhary struggled to complete her education despite coming from a wealthy family in Lucknow. She was among the most active female participants in the 1930 Civil Disobedience Movement. She was imprisoned by the British authorities multiple times. She was appointed as the vice president during the 54th Congress meeting in Meerut in 1946. She served in the Constituent Assembly from 1947 to 1952. In addition to being a prolific writer, she also wrote extensively about issues such as gender inequality, the exploitation of peasants, and the plight of widows in society.
Feminist Leela Roy frequently demonstrated and fought for what was right. She devoted herself to social work and education for girls from an early age, promoted career training, and emphasised the importance of girls learning martial arts so that they could protect themselves. She founded a lot of institutions and schools for women over the years.
Malati Choudhary was a socialist whose fight for morally righteous behaviour extended beyond winning the country’s freedom. She was imprisoned for her protests against Indira Gandhi’s imposed Emergency.
Purnima Bannerjee was one of the most determined women elected from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh (now Prayagraj), and she made significant contributions to rural involvement. She participated in the Quit India Movement and the Salt March, and as a result, she was put in jail.
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, who founded the All India Institute of Medical Science and pushed for its autonomy, is from the princely state of Punjab. She was adamantly pro-involvement of women in sports, medicine, and health. She founded the Tuberculosis Association of India, the Central Leprosy and Research Institute, served as vice-chair of the League of Red Cross Societies Board of Governors, and chaired the St. John’s Ambulance Society Executive Committee.
West Bengal native Renuka Ray was a fervent supporter of gender parity. Renuka argued in favour of a unified personal law code by pointing out the unfairness of Indian women’s status. Perhaps Sarojini Naidu is one of the most recognizable names from the drafting committee. She is frequently referred to as the “Nightingale of India.” She was the first Indian woman to hold the positions of the Governor of a state and President of the Indian National Congress. She was noted for her literary talent and was elected as a member of the Royal Society of Literature, in addition to her outstanding work in the area of women’s empowerment.
In 1942, Sucheta Kriplani, born in modern-day Haryana, played a crucial part in the Quit India Movement. She was also in charge of starting the INC’s Women Wing in 1940. When she replaced Chandra Bhanu Gupta (Uttar Pradesh) in 1963, she became India’s first female chief minister. Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the sister of Jawahar Lal Nehru and began her political career early and completed three jail terms while living under British control. In 1953, she was elected as the first woman and the first Asian to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly. Anne Mascarene was one of the first women to join the Travancore State Congress, who also became the first woman to serve on the Working Committee of the Travancore State Congress. She was a driving force behind the campaign in the Travancore State for Indian nationalism and independence.
In conclusion, it is very important to discuss the role of women in drafting our Constitution as they are not known to a lot of people and are not much discussed when it comes to the discussion about how our Constitution came into the picture.
*The Author: Pragya Chandni has completed her LL.M from Himachal Pradesh National Law University, Shimla.
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author and not to the Jurisedge Academy.
You can access our Recent Legal News Archives and our Blogs on legal updates from around the globe.
For daily legal updates, you may follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn and join our Telegram channel
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