Constitutional Compulsions for Social Justice

1. Backdrop to the Theme: A Prophetic Warning

On November 26, 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted and enacted the Indian Constitution. A day before, i.e., on November 25, 1949, Dr. Ambedkar addressed the Constituent Assembly. An extract from this address is given below:

“On 26th of January, 1950 we are going to enter into a life of contradictions: In politics, we will have equality, and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics, we will be recognising the principle of one man-one vote, and one-vote-one value. In our social and economic life, we shall by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one-man one-value”.