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You may have noticed from our earlier desk briefs, blog posts and pretty much all the writing on ConstitutionofIndia.net, that we are obsessed with Historical Constitutions. We are constantly engaging with documents written prior to 1946 that put forward a constitutional imagination for India. Our section on the Historical Constitutions presents carefully selected, edited and […]
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On 1 May, the world celebrated ‘May Day’ or ‘International Workers’ Day to commemorate the gains of the workers’ movements across the world. The fruits of this movement have led to the legal and constitutional codification of workers’ rights in many countries. The Indian Constitution, through Articles 41, 42, 43 and 43A provides a number […]
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In 1902, Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, the first king of the Princely State of Kolhapur (1900 – 1923), reserved 50% of government jobs in his state for backward communities. This was a rather novel policy for the time and an early instance of what we now commonly refer to as affirmative action – special measures that […]
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The Constitution of India 1950 frames a comprehensive architecture for affirmative action in India. A key element of this is the representation of members from marginalised communities in different organs of the State including the legislature, executive bodies and public services. The Constituent Assembly, in its plenary debates and Committees extensively debated the need for […]