CONSTITUTIONAL PHILOSOPHIES

SYNOPSIS OF BOOK REVIEW

THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION - CORNERSTONE OF A NATION

by Granville Austin
By Sunny Suman B.A,LL.B(H)

The constituent Assembly, brought into being by the will of the Indian People and in the last scene of the
last acts with the help of the British, drafted a Constitution of India in the years from December 1946 to
December 1949.They were at last to shape their own destiny, to pursue their long-proclaimed aims and
aspirations, and to create the national institutions that would facilitate the fulfillment of these aims.
The Indian Constitution is then a document in which provisions expressing general principles and
humanitarian sentiments. The Constitution, embodies the Assemblys desire for a social and economic
revolution through the Directive Principles of State Policy.

Formation of Constituent Assembly

a) The assembly, the congress, and the country
b) Leadership and decision-making
c) Nations Ideals- Unity, Integrity, Democratic and Equitable society

Social Revolution and its Impact

Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy

a) Growth from 1895-1947
b) Fundamental rights and Wrongs
c) Property, Liberty, Adult suffrage and Preventive Detention

Three Pillars of Indian Constitution

a) The Executive- Strength with Democracy
b) The Legislative- Unity through popular government
c) The Judiciary- Justice and Equality in a Democratic state

Federalism- The Amicable Union

a) Distribution of powers
b) Distribution of revenues
c) Division of powers
d) Drafting the financial provisions

Federalism and Princely States

a) National planning
b) Issues related to languages of State and provinces
c) Constitution Extending to Princely States

Language And The Constitution

Amendment The Flexible Federation
Conclusion
a) Successful Constitution
b) Criticism of The Constitution
c) The Principle of Accomodation

The Constituent Assembly was able to draft a Constitution that was both a declaration of social intent and
intricate administrative blueprint of the extraordinary sense of Unity among the members. The members
disagreed hardly at all about they sought and only slightly about the means for achieving them, although
several issues did produce deep dissension.
The Indians sense of their rich cultural heritage, their record of professional achievement in the arts and
sciences of the modern world, and their faith in their ability to govern themselves, combined to give them a
national maturity that allowed a reasoned approach to the creation and working of government. The ideal of
consensus is the most democratic of standards. The ideal of non-violent, non-coercive self-rule, also strongly
established in India, is equally so. Equipped with the basic qualifications, attitudes and experience for
creating and working a democratic constitution, Indians did not default their tryst with destiny.