Nehru Report, 1928
Modern History › Simon Commission and the Nehru Report · Topic 19.3
The Nehru Report of 1928 was the first major Indian attempt to draft a constitution. An All Parties Conference of February 1928 appointed a sub-committee under Motilal Nehru, and the report was finalised by August 1928. It recommended dominion status, joint electorates with reserved seats, linguistic provinces, nineteen fundamental rights and responsible government at the Centre and in the provinces.
6 min read · UPSC Prelims · History · Simon Commission and the Nehru Report
At a Glance
- What it is First major Indian attempt to draft a constitutional framework
- Chair Motilal Nehru, appointed by the All Parties Conference of February 1928
- Finalised August 1928
- Basis Dominion status, with some members wanting complete independence
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Modern History: Simon Commission and the Nehru Report
Where Does It Fit?
This is the third topic of the category on the Simon Commission and the Nehru Report. The previous topic covered the report of the Simon Commission. This topic covers the Nehru Report, the Indian answer to Birkenhead’s challenge. The next topic covers the communal responses to it. Previous topic: dyarchy; autonomy and representative government Centre No parliamentary responsibility Fate Overtaken by…">Recommendations of the Simon Commission.
How Did the Nehru Report Come About?
As an answer to Lord Birkenhead’s challenge, an All Parties Conference met in February 1928 and appointed a sub-committee under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru to draft a constitution. This was the first major attempt by Indians to draft a constitutional framework for the country. The challenge is described in Appointment of the Simon Commission and the Indian Response.
The committee included Tej Bahadur Sapru, Subhash Bose, M.S. Aney, Mangal Singh, Ali Imam, Shuaib Qureshi and G.R. Pradhan. The report was finalised by August 1928. Its recommendations were unanimous except in one respect: the majority favoured dominion status as the basis of the constitution, while a section wanted complete independence, and the majority gave the latter section liberty of action.
What Were the Main Recommendations?
The report confined itself to British India, envisaging a future link-up with the princely states on a federal basis.
| Subject | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Status | Dominion status on the lines of the self-governing dominions, to the chagrin of the younger, militant section, with Nehru prominent among them |
| Electorates | Separate electorates, the basis of reforms so far, were rejected; joint electorates with reserved seats for Muslims at the Centre and in provinces where they were a minority, in proportion to their population, with the right to contest additional seats; not in Muslim-majority provinces like Punjab and Bengal |
| Provinces | Linguistic provinces |
| Rights | Nineteen fundamental rights, including equal rights for women, the right to form unions and universal adult suffrage |
| Responsible government | At the Centre and in the provinces |
| Muslim interests | Full protection of the cultural and religious interests of Muslims |
| State and religion | Complete dissociation of the State from religion |
What Was the Proposed Structure of Government?
The Indian Parliament at the Centre was to have a 500-member House of Representatives elected on adult suffrage and a 200-member Senate elected by provincial councils. The House was to have a tenure of five years and the Senate seven years. The central government was to be headed by a Governor-General appointed by the British government but paid from Indian revenues, who would act on the advice of a central executive council responsible to Parliament.
| Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| House of Representatives | 500 members; adult suffrage; five years |
| Senate | 200 members; elected by provincial councils; seven years |
| Governor-General | Appointed by the British government; paid from Indian revenues; acts on advice of an executive council responsible to Parliament |
| Provincial councils | Five-year tenure; governor acts on the advice of the provincial executive council |
As an analytical point, the report was a fuller statement of Indian aims than anything the British had offered: it asked for a responsible Centre, which the Simon Commission had rejected in Recommendations of the Simon Commission, and it listed fundamental rights, a concept that reappears in later Congress resolutions such as the one in Karachi Congress Session, 1931.
Why Is It Important?
The report matters for three reasons. It showed that Indians could produce an agreed scheme, which answered Birkenhead’s claim. It put forward ideas, such as fundamental rights, linguistic provinces, adult suffrage and separation of State from religion, that later shaped the national movement’s vision of the constitution. And it exposed the difficulties of settling communal representation, which became a controversy in itself, described in Mahasabha Opposed new Muslim-majority provinces; wanted…">Muslim and Hindu Communal Responses to the Nehru Report.
The younger Congress section regarded the dominion status idea as a step backward, which led to a rift described in Muslim and Hindu Communal Responses to the Nehru Report and to the decisions of the Lahore session in Lahore Congress and Purna Swaraj.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- First Indian draft A stock Prelims fact with committee names
- Features anticipating the Constitution Fundamental rights and linguistic provinces are Mains points
- Controversy Dominion status versus independence and the communal issue
What Came Next?
The next topic describes how Muslim and Hindu communal groups responded to the report. Next topic: Muslim and Hindu Communal Responses to the Nehru Report.
Key People and Terms
- All Parties Conference The February 1928 meeting that appointed the committee
- Motilal Nehru Chairman of the drafting committee
- Dominion status Self-government within the Empire like the dominions
- Joint electorates Common electorates, with seats reserved for minorities
- Fundamental rights Nineteen rights proposed, including equal rights for women
- Linguistic provinces Provinces formed on a language basis
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Committee chair Motilal Nehru; conference February 1928; finalised August 1928.
- Dominion status as the basis; some wanted complete independence.
- Nineteen fundamental rights; adult suffrage.
- House of Representatives 500; Senate 200.
- Joint electorates with reserved seats; linguistic provinces.
Do Not Confuse With
- Nehru Report and Simon report Nehru: responsible Centre and joint electorates; Simon: no responsible Centre and separate electorates
- Dominion status and complete independence The majority favoured the first; a section wanted the second
- Nehru Report and the Delhi Proposals The report took joint electorates with reserved seats only where Muslims were a minority
Memory Hook
Motilal’s committee answered Birkenhead: dominion status, joint electorates, nineteen rights.
Mains Angle
Questions ask about the report and its response. These points add depth.
- Significance First Indian constitutional draft
- Features Rights, provinces and responsible government
- Limits Dominion status and communal disagreement
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Discuss the main recommendations of the Nehru Report and its significance in the constitutional history of India.”
How to Answer
- Background Birkenhead’s challenge.
- Recommendations Dominion status, rights, electorates and structure.
- Significance First Indian attempt and later influence.
- Conclude Limits in the communal and goal questions.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Nehru Report of 1928?
The Nehru Report was the first major Indian attempt to draft a constitutional framework. A sub-committee under Motilal Nehru, appointed by the All Parties Conference in February 1928 in answer to Lord Birkenhead's challenge, finalised it by August 1928.
What were the main recommendations of the Nehru Report?
It recommended dominion status, joint electorates with reserved seats for Muslims where they were a minority, linguistic provinces, nineteen fundamental rights including adult suffrage and equal rights for women, responsible government at the Centre and provinces, and separation of State from religion.
Who were the members of the Nehru Committee?
Besides Motilal Nehru as chair, the committee included Tej Bahadur Sapru, Subhash Bose, M.S. Aney, Mangal Singh, Ali Imam, Shuaib Qureshi and G.R. Pradhan. Its recommendations were unanimous except on whether dominion status or complete independence should be the basis.
What structure of government did the Nehru Report propose?
It proposed a Parliament of a 500-member House of Representatives elected on adult suffrage and a 200-member Senate elected by provincial councils, with a Governor-General paid from Indian revenues acting on the advice of an executive council responsible to Parliament.
Why were younger Congress leaders unhappy with the Nehru Report?
The younger militant section, with Jawaharlal Nehru prominent, regarded dominion status as a step backward. They wanted complete independence, and later the idea of dominion status was further weakened by events at the All Parties Conference.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 The Nehru Report was drafted by a committee chaired by Motilal Nehru.
It was appointed by the All Parties Conference in February 1928.
2 The Nehru Report recommended separate electorates for all communities.
It rejected separate electorates and proposed joint electorates with reserved seats.
3 The Nehru Report listed nineteen fundamental rights.
They included equal rights for women and the right to form unions.
4 The Nehru Report proposed dominion status as the basis of the constitution.
A section wanted complete independence.
5 The Nehru Report recommended linguistic provinces.
It also proposed responsible government.
Related Topics
Browse the full Modern History index