Dr.

AMBEDKARs CONTRIBUTION TO
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar (1891 - 1956) was one of the few statesmen of India who took part in all the
Constitutional deliberations right from the Southborough Committee on Franchise (1918) to Cabinet
Mission Plan (1947). He not only represented the community he belonged to but also made various
important recommendations for constitutional changes. By his dint of profound knowledge of
constitutional matters, he played an important part in the Constitutional development in pre-
independent India and in the making of the Constitution of free India. The world had seen a visionary in
Dr. Ambedkar, under whose chairmanship, the longest written constitution in the world was drafted.

According to him democracy meant fundamental changes in the social and economic life of people and
acceptance of those changes without resorting to violence and bloodshed. Ambedkar recognized
nationalism as one of the most dynamic forces of modern history. The Drafting Committee was
appointed by a resolution of Constituent Assembly of India passed on 29th August 1947, entrusted with
the duty of preparing a Draft Constitution and Dr. Ambedkar remained its Chairman. Under the
craftsmanship of Dr. Ambedkar the Draft Constitution was prepared from basic principles passed by
Constituent Assembly as Objectives Resolution on 13 December 1946.

The Drafting Committee prepared the Draft Constitution by 4th November 1948 consisting of 315
Articles and 8 Schedules.

The first and foremost Article in the Fundamental Rights Chapter of our Constitution is right to equality
before the law and equal protection of law (Art. 14). All persons within the Union shall be equal before
the law; and No person shall be denied the equal protection of laws within the territories of the Union.
There shall be no discriminated against any person on grounds of religion, race, caste, language, or sex.

According to Article 15 of the Draft, regarding prohibition of discrimination, it was mentioned that All
persons irrespective of religion, race, colour, caste, language or sex are equal before the law and entitled
to the same rights and subject to the same duties.

When the Final text of the Constitution was adopted, the text of Article 21 contained - No person shall
be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.

The guarantee of religious freedom was contained in the Draft Articles formulated by Ambedkar. Each
individual should have freedom to preach and convert, and further every religious association would be
free to regulate and administer its affairs within the limits of law applicable to all.14 Notable among
these clauses was that expressly enjoining the State not to recognize any religion as state religion.
If I were asked to name any particular article in the Constitution as the most important an article
without which the constitution would be rendered nullity- I could not refer to any other article except
this one. It is the very soul of the Constitution and the very heart of it.

People must decide how society should be organised and

Constitution should not take away this liberty.