Steeped in archival material, it covered key decisions made by the Constituent Assembly, from the relationship between the Centre and states, to emergency powers, to the nation’s official language. From reviews in the world’s leading magazines and law journals to citations by the Supreme Court, the book became the definitive reference point on India’s constitutional founding for scholars and lawyers alike. Constitutional histories typically stopped with the coming of independence and, unsurprisingly, Cornerstone became an instant classic. When Austin began his first book, little had been written about the post-1947 Indian constitution-making process. 3 Express View on Sharad Pawar’s resignation as NCP chief: The veteran rises above the party.
2 Express View on Go First: Crash and burn.1 Express View on Kohli-Gambhir spat: An ugly look.The clarity and elegance of Austin's writing makes this book not only a necessary but a pleasurable read for anyone interested in comparative constitutional law and the recent political history of India, and for students, teachers and researchers of the subject. With its wide historical sweep, and meticulously detailed research, this is Austin's magnum opusĭescribed by Fali Nariman as a 'great and compassionate work'. Since his classic work The Indian Constitution: Cornerstone of a Nation (OUP, 1966), he has been working on this long-awaited book, which not only presents archival sources, but also first-hand interviews with and rare documentation by many of the key political and legal figures of the last fifty years. Granville Austin is one of the world's leading experts on the Indian constitution. Through the post independence euphoria to the turbulent years of Indira Gandhi's 'Emergency' and Rajiv Gandhi's brief period of power, the way in which the constitution has evolved to suit the changing needs of the times isĪn important indicator of India's successful experience with democracy.
Working a Democratic Constitution tells a very human story of how the social, political and day-to-day lived realities of the Indian people has been reflected in, and in turn directed the course of, constitutional reforms in the country.
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