Change is a constant, but the Constitution retains its essential character over time in the public imagination. Aerial view of the new Parliament building in New Delhi. | Photo credit: PTI
Evolution is different from transmogrification. That the Constitution of India is a living document that keeps pace with generational changes in the needs and aspirations of its people does not need repeating, but it is equally true that it is the foundation on which the pillars of democracy, political institutions and representative system are built. The basic structural doctrine is an integral part of the Constitution thriving as a living document. Change is a constant, but the Constitution retains its essential character over time in the public imagination.
No constitution can please all sections equally. It is, in a way, a mechanism for balancing conflicting interests. It is both for the common people and a guide for their rulers. As BR Ambedkar, the key architect of the Constitution said, a good Constitution is only as effective as the leaders who uphold it. India’s voluminous constitution has established written conventions and precedents in older democracies to limit ambiguity and room for misinterpretation. However, no text is immune to deliberate misreading, and such has been India’s experience with its constitution over the past 75 years.
As the statute of a young nation, a union of very different regions with different languages and customs, the Constitution gave the executive enormous powers to suppress division and dissent. Freedoms were defined by their limitations, but their very articulation created space for dissent and political mobilization for change. Indeed, the Constitution now figures prominently in election campaigns, and those who talk about overhauling the Constitution, whether from the right or the left of the political spectrum, face intense criticism.
These articles try to approach some of these aspects of the functioning of the constitution in the last 75 years.
Published – 26 Nov 2025 15:28 IST
