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The Constitution of India A Contextual Analysis By Arun K. Thiruvengadam This book provides an overview of the Indian Constitution by situating it within its broader socio-political context. It focuses on the overarching principles and the main institutions of constitutional governance that the world's longest written constitution inaugurated in 1950. The nine substantive chapters of the book deal with specific aspects of the Indian constitutional tradition as it has evolved across seven decades of its existence as an independent nation. Starting with a focus on the pre-history of the constitution and its making, the book moves onto an examination of the structural features and actual operation of principal governance institutions, including the executive and the parliament, the institutions of federalism and local government, and the judiciary. An unusual feature of Indian constitutionalism is the role played by technocratic institutions such as the Election Co...

THE DEBATE ON THE UNIFORM CIVIL CODE IN INDIA: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON CONSTITUTIONAL SECULARISM IN INDIA AND PERSONAL LAWS REGIMES IN ASIA International Workshop 27 - 28 April 2017 The preamble to India’s 1950 Constitution declares it to be a secular state. Yet, religions play a highly visible role in the Indian public sphere. Furthermore, in spite of the constitutional mandate (“The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”, art. 44), a regime of personal laws - based on religious or customary ground - is actually applied, mostly in matters of family law and group status. The political process is presently re-considering the adoption of a uniform civil code, and the question whether such a solution - long waited for - is more consistent with the principle of constitutional secularism and more respectful to religious pluralism needs to be critically addressed, in a context - like the Indian one - where the balance between cons...