Republic Day (India)

Republic Day is a national holiday in India commemorating the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of India and the country's transition to a republic which came into effect on 26 January 1950.

The constitution replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India, thus turning the nation from a dominion into a republic, following its independence from the British Raj in 1947. The constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The date was chosen because the Indian National Congress had proclaimed Purna Swaraj (complete independence) on that date in 1930.

Republic Day is commonly associated with parades, political speeches, cultural events and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and the traditions of India.

Background

India achieved independence from the British Raj on 15 August 1947 following the success of the Indian independence movement which was led by Indian National Congress. The Indian National Congress (INC) was the largest and, especially under Gandhi, the most influential organization in the final phase of the independence movement—but it was not the only organization or group that fought against British rule.

It is more accurate to view Indian independence as the result of many political movements, revolutionary groups, leaders, social organizations, workers, peasants, soldiers and ordinary citizens, with Congress playing the central mainstream role. This was enacted through the Indian Independence Act 1947, an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of the British Commonwealth. Without a standalone constitution, its laws were based on the Government of India Act 1935 and governed by the Constituent Assembly of India.