DECODING THE DOCUMENT

Five books to help you understand and interpret the Constitution

A PEOPLE’S CONSTITUTION

By Rohit De

De’s work questions the perception that the Constitution was a creation of an elite consensus, and it had little bearing on India’s citizens.

A People’s Constitution shows the document has impacted the lives of citizens in profound and subtle ways. It analyses cases in which citizens have taken recourse to the Constitution to challenge state regulations.

By Madhav Khosla

THE TRANSFORMATIVE CONSTITUTION: A RADICAL BIOGRAPHY IN NINE ACTS

By Gautam Bhatia

The working of the Constitution over the last seven decades has often failed to live up to the promise that it would transform the citizenry from being ruled to becoming free and equal. The author advances a novel vision of the Constitution which is true to its commitment to political and social changes.

INDIA’S FOUNDING MOMENT: THE CONSTITUTION OF A MOST SURPRISING DEMOCRACY

Drafters of the Indian Constitution provided the citizenry with universal suffrage in the backdrop of social diversity, poverty and centuries of colonial rule. Khosla’s work explores the means through which they promoted democratic values in challenging times.

WORKING A DEMOCRATIC CONSTITUTION

By Granville Austin

Many consider Austin’s book as the most seminal work when it comes to the history of the working of the Indian Constitution. The book examines how various legal and political changes have affected the making of the Constitution.

INDEPENDENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE INDIAN HIGHER JUDICIARY

By Arghya Sengupta

An in-depth work on the Supreme Court and how it has safeguarded the Constitution. It argues that both judicial independence and accountability are necessary for an effective judiciary, and that there is no conflict between the two.