Dalits and the Indian Constitution By Anand Teltumbde

A RIGOROUS AND ESSENTIAL CRITIQUE OF DEMOCRATIC PROMISE AND PRACTICE.

How has the Indian Constitution truly impacted the community most identified with its emancipatory potential? In Dalits and the Indian Constitution, renowned scholar Anand Teltumbde offers a clear-eyed, rigorous examination of the gap between constitutional ideals and the realities of entrenched social power. Moving from the history of nationalist politics and the drafting of the Constitution to the current status of its most critical provisions—such as the abolition of untouchability, the reservation system, and secularism—Teltumbde exposes why formal legal safeguards have struggled to deliver substantive equality without structural societal change.

This monograph refuses to rely on nostalgia or fatalism. Instead, Teltumbde presents a deeply argued case for why "constitutional morality" requires more than just the recitation of principles; it demands the robust institutionalization of checks on arbitrary power and a fundamental transformation of social habits. Blending historical debate with compelling contemporary evidence of discrimination, this is an urgent, first-principles exploration of how rights can be turned into lived realities. It is a vital resource for citizens, students, and policymakers dedicated to recovering the moral center of India’s democratic project.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Critical Scholarship: Offers a sharp, intellectual analysis of the relationship between Dalit emancipation and constitutional law in India.

• Balanced Argumentation: Navigates complex socio-political history with lucidity, moving beyond surface-level narratives to examine structural failures.

• A Call for Institutional Action: Provides a roadmap for how constitutional morality can be actively cultivated and protected against administrative perversion.

• Essential for Civic Literacy: A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the core tensions of Indian democracy and the path toward true equality.

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