Page 2 - Lesson Note 6

report of the Indian National Congress mentioned individual

rights, not just in passing but as a nonnegotiable value.

Social Justice

 The liberalism of the Indian Constitution differs in two ways.

 First, it was always linked to social justice. The best example of

this is the provision for reservations for Scheduled Castes and

Scheduled Tribes in the Constitution.

 The makers of the Constitution believed that the mere granting of

the right to equality was not enough to overcome age-old

injustices suffered by these groups or to give real meaning to their
right to vote.

 Special constitutional measures were required to advance their

interests. Therefore the constitution makers provided a number

of special measures to protect the interests of Scheduled Castes

and Scheduled Tribes such as the reservation of seats in
legislatures.

 The Constitution also made it possible for the government to

reserve public sector jobs for these groups.

Respect for Diversity and Minority Rights

 The Indian Constitution encourages equal respect between

communities. This was not easy in our country, first because

communities do not always have a relationship of equality; they

tend to have hierarchical relationships with one another (as in the

case of caste).