In his critique, Justice Katju applies Hegel’s dictum “The real is the rational and the rational is the real” to contemporary India, arguing that the current political and constitutional framework has become irrational and, hence, unreal. He points out the failure of democracy, freedom, and judicial independence, suggesting that these have been undermined by caste politics, communalism, and corruption. Katju posits that this system, like the pre-Revolutionary French feudalism, is due for an overhaul. He envisions a future where rapid industrialization and rising living standards would constitute a rational, and thus real, social order.
Tag: Indian Constitution
Justice Markandey Katju on Indian Constitution : Has it failed us or have the people failed the Constitution ?
Justice Markandey Katju critiques the premise of India’s Constitution, arguing that it was transplanted from Western models onto a feudal society without addressing the structural transformation required for modernization. He highlights how, despite initial progress, India’s modern institutions have been feudalized, eroding principles like secularism, liberty, and freedom of speech. He posits that true transformation necessitates a people-led revolution, citing historical examples from England, France, Russia, and China. Katju concludes that the Constitution alone cannot modernize a society, emphasizing the need for sustained societal change.
The purpose of making the Indian Constitution
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America