Synopses & Reviews
The
Oxford India Short Introductions are concise, stimulating, and accessible guides to different aspects of India. Combining authoritative analysis, new ideas, and diverse perspectives, they discuss subjects which are topical yet enduring, as also emerging areas of study and debate. This short introduction to one of the world's most important and longest political texts presents an illuminating tour of the Indian Constitution, explaining not only what it says but also inviting readers to think critically about the theory and practice of constitutionalism in modern India.
Governing over a billion people, and containing almost four hundred articles, the endurance and operation of the Indian Constitution have fascinated and surprised many. The author brings to light its many themes and aspirations. How does the Constitution separate power between different actors? What identities does it recognize? What form of citizenship does it embrace? And how can it change? In answering questions such as these, the author unravels the ways in which the document has been made and unmade, interpreted and reinterpreted, and understood and misunderstood.
Review
"Written in clear, jargon-free prose, this critical study will be a marvellous resource for lawyers and non-lawyers alike." - Justice Ruma Pal, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India
"A wonderful introduction to an exciting subject. Khosla presents an analytical and deeply insightful account of one of the landmark constitutions of our time." - Justice Aharon Barak, Former Chief Justice of Israel
"The Indian Constitution anchors India's political identity and has shaped the country's destiny-though not always in ways the founders anticipated. Yet, for all its formal centrality and its easy invocation by disparate political projects, the ambiguities of its commitments and the vicissitudes of its history remain little understood. In this remarkable book ... Madhav Khosla compels us to think seriously both about the fitful evolution of constitutional interpretation and about the place acquired by the Constitution in our democratic life. Khosla's outstanding book is far and away the most stimulating introduction to the life of our Constitution: and it signals the arrival of an important new voice in our intellectual life." - Sunil Khilnani, author of The Idea of India
Synopsis
The Oxford India Short Introductions are concise, stimulating, and accessible guides to different aspects of India. Combining authoritative analysis, new ideas, and diverse perspectives, they discuss subjects which are topical yet enduring, as also emerging areas of study and debate.
Giving identity to over a billion people, the Indian Constitution is one of the world's great political texts. Drafted over six decades ago, its endurance and operation have fascinated and surprised many. In this short introduction, Madhav Khosla brings to light its many features, aspirations, and controversies. How does the Constitution separate power between different political actors? What form of citizenship does it embrace? And how can it change? In answering questions such as these, Khosla unravels the document's remarkable and challenging journey, inviting readers to reflect upon the theory and practice of constitutionalism in the world's largest democracy.
About the Author
Madhav Khosla is currently a PhD student at the Department of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge (MA), USA. Prior to this, he worked at the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, and clerked at the Supreme Court of India. He holds an LL.M. from Yale Law School, where he studied as an Inlaks Scholar, and a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Introduction
1. Separation of Powers
2. Federalism
3. Rights and Goals
4. Changing the Constitution
List of Cases
List of References
Further Reading