No records related to India joining Commonwealth: MEA

The External Affairs Ministry does not have any records showing the circumstances in which India chose to be associated with the Commonwealth in 1949, an RTI response said.
Efforts were made to locate in the UNP Division and Europe West Division -- the two divisions which have dealt with Commonwealth Affairs -- correspondence, file notings and documents dating back to India joining the Commonwealth in 1949, it said.
"Enquiries were also made with the High Commission of India in London to locate the relevant records and documents. However, these efforts did not yield the correspondence/file- notings/documents etc. Dating back to India joining the Commonwealth in 1949 as sought by the applicant. Further, no information was found as to where such records/documents might be located," Sanjay Rana, Director of UNP, said in his reply to activist S C Agrawal.

The Ministry said it could only find a copy of "the London Declaration" which led to the establishment of the modern Commonwealth on the website of the Commonwealth Secretariat which provides the rationale for India continuing to be a member of the association even after becoming a republic.
The London Declaration, a copy of which was provided by the Ministry, was signed on April 26, 1949 and it says, "The Government of India have informed the other Governments of the Commonwealth of the intention of the India people that under the new constitution, which is about to be adopted, India shall become a sovereign independent republic."

"The Government of India has, however, declared and affirmed India's desire to continue her full membership of the Commonwealth of Nations and Her Acceptance of The King as the symbol of the free association of its independent member nations and as such the Head of the Commonwealth," it said.