'Constitution must become guiding light for all Indians'

As India prepares to celebrate Constitution Day on November 26, an expert on issues related to the Indian Constitution believes that it needs to be taken to people. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, constitutional expert Dr Parantap Das said the people must be made aware of what all it consists for them as citizens.

New Delhi: As India inches closer to celebrate Constitution Day on November 26, an expert on matters related to the constitution believes that the country has a long way to take the book of laws to its people as many of them still do not have any idea about their rights, duties and other provisions made in the great document.

Successive governments have made efforts in this regard but a lot still needs to be done to make people aware of what the constitution holds for them, constitutional expert Dr Parantap Das told ETV Bharat here.

"Framers of the constitution, including Dr BR Ambedkar, wanted the preamble of the constitution to be followed properly, but political class did not take it seriously," he said, adding that there are many in the country who would know nothing about their rights, duties or any other provision that may have been made for him/her in the constitution.

Talking about rules and court judgments, Das said, "common, innocent and illiterate people" in the villages across the country do not understand anything about it, and it's a sad state of affairs.

Discussing how Dalits would not know anything about the commission for schedule caste, he said that the Ministry of Law and Justice was doing its bit by explaining the laws through visual and pictographic presentations.

Das said the law universities and the bar associations across the nation should also take steps to make people understand the laws and they should also make them aware of their rights.

Touching upon one of the biggest constitutional changes, Das said abrogation of Article 370, which ensured special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was a bold step taken by the government of the day.

"It was well within the rights of the central government as the region did not have a government of its own at that time," he said.

He also appreciated former CJI Ranjan Gogoi for placing the office of the Chief Justice of India under the RTI Act, saying it was a "historical judgment".

On being asked about required transparency in appointments of judges in the country, he said: "We the citizens of the country have every right to know how the judges are selected".