Dr Ambedkar: Architect of the Indian Constitution

Abstract

Due to his seminal role in the framing of the Indian constitution; Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is popularly known allover India as the Chief Architects of the Indian Constitution.His efforts to eradicate social evils were remarkable and that is why he is called the “messiah” of dalits and downtrodden in India. Dr. Ambedkar was appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. The text prepared by Ambedkar provided constitutional guarantees and protections for a wide range of civil liberties for individual citizens, including freedom of religion, the abolition of untouchability and outlawing all forms of discrimination. Ambedkar argued for extensive economic and social rights for women, and also won the Assembly’s support for introducing a system of reservations of jobs for the member of the SC and ST. Ambedkar has kept the clauses of the Constitution flexible so that amendments could be made as and when situation demanded. Dr. Ambedkar provided an inspiring preamble ensuring justice, social, economic and political, liberty, equality and fraternity. The creation of an egalitarian social order still remains an unfulfilled wishful thinking. The most important thing for which Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar is popularly known allover India is that he was the Chief Architects of the Indian Constitution.He was not only a learned scholar and an eminent jurist but also a revolutionary against social evils like untouchability and caste restrictions. His efforts to eradicate social evils were remarkable and that is why he is called the “messiah” of dalits and downtrodden in India. Throughout his life, he fought against social discrimination and for the rights of the dalits and other socially backward classes.He was not only a great national leader but also a distinguish scholar of international repute. He not only led various social movements for the upliftment of the depressed sections of the Indian Society but also contributed to the understanding of the Socio-Economic and Political problems of India through his scholarly works on caste, religion, culture, constitutional law and economic development. As a matter of fact he was an economist and his various scholarly works and speeches indicates his deep understanding of the problems faced by Indian Society. He was appointed as the nation’s first Law Minister and was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1990. [i] On 29 August1947Dr.Ambedkar was appointed as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee that was constituted by Constituent Assembly to draft a constitution for the independent India. The draft constitution was the result of the collective efforts of a galaxy of great leaders and legal scholars in the Constituent Assembly such as Jawahar Lal Nehru’ Rajendra Prasad, B. R. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, B. N. Rao, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar etc.The purpose of this paper is to examine the contribution of Dr. Ambedkar only to the Indian Constitution. [i] Dr. BR. Ambedkar Biography-Life and Profile,http://www.culturalindia.net, accessed on 5 February, 2015.