THE CONSTITUTION @ 75

As India celebrates the 75th year of the adoption of its Constitution, it's imperative to reflect on how this document has been at the very heart of our nation's journey.

- KARTIKEYA SHARMA

The idea of India, from the ancient Bharat varsha to the modern Republic of India, has been the bedrock of all institutions that have thrived in this land. The Constitution of India is what has kept that idea alive, while adapting to the modern socio-economic demands of prevailing geopolitics. This living document has been at the helm of uniting the country even during the lowest of all lows, and preserving the high character of the nation as history has known it.

As India celebrates the 75th year of the adoption of its Constitution, it's imperative to reflect on how a 251page document has been at the very heart of our nation's journey. Humanity in its evolution has always revered and adopted a written set of norms for defining, preserving and regulating the collective aspirations and conduct of society. Billions around the globe seek moral guidance from sacred books. Documents like the Magna Carta continue to underscore the quest for justice, liberty and rights.

Drawing from the same idea, Bharatiya Samvidhaan continues to be our guiding light in our journey towards a better future.

The Constitution of the Republic of India, at its core, establishes India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic.

It enshrines fundamental rights, including the right to equality, freedom, and protection against exploitation, forming the bedrock of civil liberties. Complementing these are the Directive Principles of State Policy, which, though not justiciable, provide a roadmap for socio-economic justice.

The late Lord Bingham perceptively wrote on the UK's unwritten Constitution that "constitutionally speaking, we now find ourselves in a trackless desert without map or compass." This is precisely the problem that codification addresses. When a Constitution is codified, we know what it says. Each organ of OPINION the state-the legislature, the executive and the judiciary has a clearer idea of the breadth of its powers.