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Indian Constitutional Documents, Vol. II

By Indubhusan Banerjee

Vol. 24 · No. 2June - 1948pp. 162–162English

Summary

This review discusses the second volume of ‘Indian Constitutional Documents,’ edited by Prof. Anil Chandra Banerjee and covering the period 1858–1917. Expanding upon the first volume, it compiles legislative acts, speeches, despatches, minutes, diaries, treaties and private correspondence related to the development of India’s constitutional framework. The volume includes key enactments such as the Government of India Act 1858 and the Indian Councils Acts of 1861, 1892 and 1909, as well as documents relating to Indian States. The reviewer praises Banerjee’s succinct introduction, explanatory notes and broad selection of sources. The book is deemed a valuable resource for students of constitutional history and for understanding the evolution of India’s political institutions.

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Conclusion

The reviewer regards Banerjee’s compilation as an indispensable reference for colonial constitutional history. By assembling diverse documents and providing contextual commentary, the volume illuminates the debates and legislation that shaped modern India’s constitution.

Key passages

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  • “The second edition has been so much enlarged by the addition of new documents that the editor has found it necessary to divide it into two volumes: one, covering the petiod 1858-1917, which is under review; the other covering the period followmg 1917, which is now in the press.”
  • “Dr. Banerjee has not included in his selection only the important legislative enactments like the Government of India Act, 1858, and the Indian Councils Acts of 1861, 1892 and 1909.”
  • “The present volume contains all important documents relating to the deve'opment of the Indian Constitution from the transfer of India from the Company to the Crown down to the Imperial Con-ference of 1917,”

Works cited in this article

  1. INDIAN CONSTITUTIONAL DOCUMENTS: Vol. H, 1858-1917. Revised and enlarged second edition. Edited with Introduction and Notes by Prof. Anil Chandra Banerjee, M.A., P.R.S., Ph.D. Calcutta, 1948.
  2. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE THERA-VADA BUDDHISM IN BURMA by Prof. Nihartanjan Ray, M.A., D.Lete. & Phil., etc.; published by the University of Calcutta, 1946; pages xv + 302.

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