India commemorates its 77th Republic Day this year, an occasion not merely to celebrate the enforcement of the Constitution of India, but to reaffirm our democratic values, constitutional morality, unity in diversity, national integration, and cultural heritage. Republic Day also serves as a solemn reminder to both the State and the people to uphold Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties. The story of the Indian Republic is not simply one of political independence; it is, more profoundly, a story of constitutional aspiration to remake society. As this constitutional journey unfolded, its ideals have continuously confronted social realities such as caste hierarchies, economic inequalities, and sectarian divisions. The journey of the Indian Republic since its inception has been an ongoing dialogue between constitutional ideals and social realities, between law and lived experiences, with a dream of rising into a confident global power.
Birth of the Indian Republic
The Indian National Congress, at its historic Lahore Session on 19 December 1929, under the leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru, formally adopted the resolution of Purna Swaraj (Complete Independence), rejecting dominion status under British rule. From that moment, Purna Swaraj became the formal political objective of the freedom movement.[i] On 26 January 1930, Indians across the country observed Purna Swaraj Day with public meetings and the hoisting of the tricolour, committing themselves to the goal of complete self-rule. This declaration, and the nationwide participation it inspired, marked a decisive shift in India’s struggle for independence.
The Constituent Assembly of India was constituted in December 1946 to draft a permanent Constitution for independent India. After nearly two years, eleven months, and eighteen days of deliberation, the Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949. The date of 26 January 1950 was consciously chosen for its enforcement to honour the historic Purna Swaraj resolution of 1930, thereby symbolically connecting the political aspirations of the freedom movement with the democratic framework of a modern constitutional republic.
The Constitution of India establishes India as a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic, ensuring that the ultimate authority rests with the people.[ii] The Indian Constitution is not just a book of rights and governance rather a framework through which the world’s largest and one of its most contentious democracies was brough into being. It was the charter through which an ancient civilisation was set on the road to modernity and social reform. India’s Constitutional framework provides for the management and accommodation of the most complex ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity of any modern nation State.[iii]
The Indian Constitution, as a project, has been described in many ways by historians and scholars. For its most prominent historian, the project was about ‘social revolution’, whereas for others, it was a political project, an expression of the fact that the Indian people were finally sovereign and dedicating themselves to the universal values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.[iv] While the Constitution in its bare words did usher in a new Democratic Republican order but its soul was guided through time, experiences, and lived realities of generations since every part of it has been a product of a specific struggles, opportunities, and social contexts.[v]
A Constitution Born of Trauma and Transformation
The Indian Constitution was born out of a unique historical moment that embodied the traumas of Partition, the legacy of colonial governance, and the challenge of forging a common national identity in the face of unparalleled social and cultural diversity. Unlike many Western constitutions that primarily lay down governance structures and limit state action, the Indian Constitution is both a mirror and a moulder of society. It reflects existing inequalities, while simultaneously attempting to correct them through affirmative action, socio-economic rights, and redistributive policies.
Granville Austin famously described the Constitution as embodying a social revolution, particularly through its commitments to equality, secularism, and social justice.[vi] Provisions such as reservations for historically marginalised communities, the abolition of untouchability, and the Directive Principles of State Policy demonstrate that our framers viewed constitutionalism not as a static legal framework, but as an instrument for social transformation.
Judicial Evolution and Democratic Destiny
In the early decades of the Republic, democratic institutions took root. Elections became a regular exercise of the popular will, and the rule of law emerged as a guiding principle. Economic planning focused on self-reliance, industrial growth, and agricultural stability. Investments in science and technology produced achievements in space research, nuclear energy, and information technology. Yet this journey was not without challenges. Political instability, social inequalities, and regional conflicts tested the resilience of the Republic.
Even the judiciary, as the gatekeeper of the Constitution, initially adopted a narrow and formalistic approach to Fundamental Rights. In A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950)[vii], the Supreme Court took a restrictive view of personal liberty under Article 21. Similarly, in State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951)[viii], the Court struck down caste-based reservations, prioritising formal equality over substantive social justice. These decisions reflected an early tension between constitutional ideals and social realities.
The turning point came with Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973)[ix], where the Supreme Court articulated the Basic Structure Doctrine, holding that Parliament’s power to amend the Constitution is limited by its fundamental identity. This doctrine preserved constitutional supremacy and prevented authoritarian constitutionalism, marking a critical moment in India’s democratic destiny. It reaffirmed that the Constitution is not merely a legal text but a moral framework grounded in enduring values and also helped restore federal balance, social consciousness, exemplifying transformative constitutionalism and ultimately bridging the gap between aspiration and lived realities.
From Aspiration to Destiny
In the brief seventy-seven years that Indians have held the reins of self-government, the Republic has governed itself successfully against several odds. As Granville Austin observed, in a remarkably short period, India wove a seamless constitutional web that established democratic institutions, pursued a social revolution to better the lot of the masses, and preserved the country’s unity and integrity.[x] The Constitution, above all, has been the source of the country’s political stability and its open society.[xi]
The journey from aspiration to destiny is far from complete. The constitutional promise of justice (social, economic, and political) remains a work in progress. Today, India stands at a crossroads between aspiration and destiny. It is a rising global power with a youthful population, a digital economy, and growing international influence. At the same time, it continues to grapple with challenges such as unemployment, environmental degradation, and social polarization
Yet the resilience of India’s constitutional and republican framework lies in its capacity for self-correction, its commitment to pluralism, and its faith in democratic deliberation. The Indian Constitution is not merely a legal text, rather it is a sociological manifesto, and a political covenant. Its survival and success depend not only on courts and legislatures but on the collective commitment of citizens to constitutional morality.
The Republic Day, therefore, remains not merely a ceremonial commemoration; it is a constitutional moment and a reminder that the destiny of the Indian Republic continues to be shaped by the aspirations of its people and the enduring spirit of its Constitution.
*Arindam Bharadwaj is a Lawyer based in New Delhi.
[i] D.A. Low, Vortex debate: the purna swaraj decision 1929, in Britain and Indian Nationalism: The Imprint of Amibiguity 1929–1942, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
[ii] See The Preamble to the Constitution of India.
[iii] Sujit Choudhary, Madhav Khosla, and Pratap Bhani Mehta, Locating Indian Constitutionalism, in the Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution, Oxford University Press.
[iv] Ibid.
[v] Uday S Mehta, Indian Constitutionalism: Crisis, Unity, and History, in the Oxford Handbook of the Indian Constitution, Oxford University Press.
[vi] Granville Austin, The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation, Oxford University Press, 1966.
[vii] A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras, AIR 1950 SC 27.
[viii] State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan, AIR 1951 SC 226.
[ix] Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 SCC 225.
[x] Granville Austin, A Nation’s Progress, in Working a Democratic Constitution: The Indian Experience, Oxford University Press, 1999.
[xi] Ibid.