In effect, the call for the removal of ‘Secular’ and ‘Socialist’ from the Preamble is against the constitutional mandate. Any attempt in that direction would lead to constitutional erosion.
In 1976, the 42nd Amendment to the Constitution not only added two words but also introduced changes in 40 Articles & the Seventh Schedule while adding 14 new Articles.
The verdict on the preamble amendments of 1976 suggests that the courts will accept flexible meanings of terms. A Constitution built of plasticine can be made to mean anything.
Speaking at an event earlier this month, Justice Pankaj Mithal had said additions of 'socialist' and 'secular' in Preamble of the Constitution narrowed 'vastness of its spiritual image'.
The Department of Justice, which falls under the Law ministry, has set up a booth at the New Delhi World Book Fair where it is awarding certificates to those who read the Preamble.
When Gandhi talked about secularism, he was shown black flags. When Indira Gandhi amended the Constitution to add it, she was asked to clarify what she meant.
Political satire is indispensable to democracy, racial caricature isn’t. If Europe’s liberal press still cannot tell difference, then decolonisation never happened in their imagination.
PM-EAC paper says overhaul of Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority system sharply improved processing speed and reduced paperwork for investors.
While India yet to set in motion theaterisation of armed forces, China's military reforms combined China’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Rocket Force aimed at regional dominance & tight political control.
Pakistan has ended up losing every war against India but that hasn’t prevented it from claiming victory. We will go over the evidence to anticipate what to expect next.
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