House hails 'living document' to mark 75 yrs of Constitution

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday described the Constitution as a "living and progressive document" that forms the bedrock of India's democratic republic and emphasised that its true strength lies in the coordinated efforts of all constitutional bodies to improve citizens' lives.

- HT Correspondent

The President was addressing parliamentarians at the Central Hall for the Constitution Day on Tuesday, which commemorates the day in 1949 when the Constituent Assembly adopted the document. This was the culmination of a nearly three-year process by the Constituent Assembly - a feat of democratic nation-building that many see as without parallel in history. At the time, a little under 1.5 million words long, the Constitution was sculpted out of sweeping philosophical and political discourse. It came into effect exactly two months later, on January 26, 1950, marking India's birth as a Republic.

"In accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the executive, legislature, and the judiciary to work together to make the lives of common people better," Murmu said, addressing lawmakers in the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on the occasion of Constitution Day.

The President highlighted how the document has today enabled India's transformation. "Our farsighted Constitution-makers had provided for a system of adopting new ideas, according to the needs of the changing times. We have achieved many ambitious goals related to social justice and inclusive development through the Constitution. With a new approach, we are earning for India a new identity in the comity of nations," she said.

The Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister and Opposition leaders separately held events to mark the day.

At the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that the spirit of "Nation First" would ensure the Constitution's enduring relevance. "Our Constitution is not just a lawyer's document; it is a spirit a spirit of the age," Modi said, addressing a gathering that included Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna.