Sources of Constitutional Legitimacy

The second and third statements are correct. The Constitution gained immense acceptability because it was drafted by highly credible leaders of the freedom struggle, and the Assembly broadly represented diverse sections of society. The first statement is a common misconception; the Indian Constitution was never subjected to a public referendum.

The Assertion is true; it achieved legitimacy without direct ratification (a referendum). Reason 1 correctly supports this by highlighting the charismatic authority and diversity of the framers. Reason 2 is historically false; no such public referendum was ever proposed or executed for the Indian Constitution.

The second counter-argument is correct. While it is true the document was never subjected to a referendum, historians argue its legitimacy stemmed from the fact that it was drafted by broadly representative leaders who enjoyed immense, undeniable popular backing from the freedom struggle. The first scenario is false (no referendum occurred), and the third is false (the British did not force the final document).

Only two claims are verifiable (Statements 2 and 3). The credibility of the leaders and the diversity of the assembly granted the document acceptability. Statement 1 is false because the Constitution was never subjected to a direct popular referendum.