New Delhi, Feb 25: As Has the Constitution of India Fulfilled the Emancipatory Promises of Dalits? enters public discussion, it has reignited a difficult but necessary national conversation: Has the Indian Constitution truly delivered justice to Dalits, or has it merely softened the edges of caste without dismantling it?More than seven decades after India adopted its Constitution under the leadership of B. R.
Ambedkar, the document continues to be celebrated as a transformative charter of equality, liberty and fraternity. For Dalits in particular, it represents more than law — it symbolizes hope, dignity and the promise of emancipation from centuries of caste oppression.Yet, as author and public intellectual Anand Teltumbde argues in his recent work, the constitutional journey has been more complex and incomplete than often acknowledged.Beyond Implementation: A Structural QuestionRather than blaming failures solely on poor implementation, Teltumbde raises a more fundamental concern.
He suggests that structural features within the constitutional design itself may have limited transformative change. According to him, mechanisms such as the abolition of untouchability, electoral reservations, and the framework of secularism have produced symbolic inclusion without uprooting entrenched hierarchies.At the heart of the debate lies the idea of “constitutional morality.” Traditionally understood as a commitment to uphold constitutional values by those in power, Teltumbde reinterprets it as a responsibility embedded within the Constitution itself — not just to restrict power, but to cultivate moral habits that actively dismantle oppression.Caste Abolition vs.
UntouchabilityOne of the most pressing issues revisited in the book is Article 17, which abolished untouchability. While India has built a dense legal framework to combat caste discrimination, multiple surveys over the years have shown that untouchability practices persist in various forms across regions.The author argues that banning untouchability without annihilating caste addresses a symptom rather than the disease. He revisits debates within the Constituent Assembly, where members such as Pramatha Ranjan Thakur questioned whether untouchability could truly disappear while the caste system remained intact.Interestingly, Ambedkar — who had famously called for the “annihilation of caste” years earlier — did not push for explicit abolition of caste during these Assembly debates. Scholars have long debated whether this silence reflected political compromise, strategic restraint, or institutional limitations.
Representation and the Electoral SystemThe book also examines India’s First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) electoral system. While reserved constituencies have enabled Dalit political representation, Teltumbde argues that the system often produces elite capture. Elected representatives from reserved seats may remain dependent on mainstream party structures and upper-caste political networks, potentially limiting grassroots transformation.He revisits the historical debate between FPTP and Proportional Representation (PR), noting that several members of the Constituent Assembly had supported PR as a way to prevent what was described as the “tyranny of the majority.” Ultimately, the Assembly chose FPTP, favouring stability and strong governments.The discussion echoes contemporary global examples such as New Zealand, which shifted to a mixed-member proportional system in 1996 after public demand for broader representation.Secularism, Conversion and IdentityAnother deeply sensitive issue examined is the denial of Scheduled Caste status to Dalits who convert to Islam or Christianity. While constitutional safeguards protect Scheduled Castes within Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, those who exit Hinduism for other faiths lose official SC recognition — despite continuing to face similar social discrimination.
Teltumbde views this as a structural contradiction within Indian secularism. He also reflects on Ambedkar’s historic mass conversion to Buddhism in 1956, interpreting it as a political act rooted in the belief that Hinduism’s caste hierarchy was beyond reform.State Power and AccountabilityIn its concluding arguments, the book turns to constitutional provisions that grant significant protections to state authorities, including preventive detention laws. Teltumbde contends that while the Constitution enshrines fundamental rights, it simultaneously creates spaces of impunity that disproportionately affect marginalized communities, including Dalits, Adivasis and religious minorities.A Continuing ConversationSeventy-five years after independence, India’s constitutional democracy remains a remarkable experiment in pluralism and rights-based governance.
It has undeniably enabled mobility, access to education, and political participation for millions from historically oppressed communities.Yet, as this new scholarship underscores, constitutional promises and lived realities do not always align. The debate is not about diminishing the Constitution’s importance, but about deepening its emancipatory potential.For many Dalit activists and scholars, the question is not whether the Constitution matters — it is whether India is willing to confront the structural roots of caste inequality with the same seriousness that it once embraced the ideals of justice, equality and fraternity.As the country reflects on its constitutional legacy, voices like Teltumbde’s ensure that the conversation remains grounded in the lived experiences of those for whom emancipation was not just a promise, but a necessity.
