Ideas of India Ornit Shani and Rohit De on Assembling India's Constitution
Mar 12, 2026
Rohit De, Yale historian of legal life, and Ornit Shani, historian of citizenship and democratic franchise, explore Assembling India’s Constitution. They trace mass mobilization, the constitution as practice beyond text, provincial legislatures and princely states, public petitions, radio and theater, and how popular ownership shaped legitimacy and ongoing constitutional contestation.
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Constitution Making Emerged From Public Politics
- Constitution making in India was driven from outside the Constituent Assembly through petitions, provincial debates, radio and mass gatherings.
- Ornit Shani and Rohit De show constitutional language and demands emerged from tribal meetings, letters and public campaigns before the Assembly convened.
Abolishing Untouchability Was Hard Fought
- Ambedkar and Dalit organizers fought strong social opposition to abolish untouchability, mobilizing both inside and outside the Assembly.
- Rohit De cites a Northwest Frontier legislator arguing abolition of untouchability would prevent partition by ending Hindu-Muslim segregation.
State Assemblies Challenged Delhi's Sovereignty
- Provincial legislatures contested Delhi's claim to be the sole sovereign author and sought binding input on the draft constitution.
- Madras and other provincial assemblies debated drafts, proposed amendments and created a regional public conversation reported in vernacular presses.
