“The First Battle of Indian Liberalism: Then Political Leaders’ Views on the 1951 Constitution Amendment Act”, ForPol India, November 26, 2025
“The Constitution (First Amendment) Bill, introduced by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in May 1951, ignited a fiery confrontation between the executive and the judiciary, forcing India’s first generation of leaders to choose between rapid social engineering and upholding expansive individual liberties. The debate witnessed deeply contrasting perspectives from India’s political and legal elite, ranging from the Prime Minister’s assertion of parliamentary supremacy to the Opposition’s fierce defence of constitutional rights.
Proponents of the Amendment: Prioritising Social Change
The core support for the amendment stemmed from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and key members of his Cabinet, who viewed the Constitution’s existing framework, particularly the Fundamental Rights, as an impediment to the Congress party’s flagship social and economic programs, such as zamindari abolition, nationalisation, and reservations for backward classes.
Nehru articulated his frustration openly, once thundering that the “magnificent constitution that we had framed was later kidnapped and purloined by lawyers”. He argued that core concepts of Fundamental Rights (individual liberty and freedom) were “relics of a static age” and “now passé”. These static ideas were, in his view, overtaken by the dynamic principles of social reform and social engineering enshrined in the Directive Principles of State Policy……”
Read full article at forpolindia.com
