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This book dismantles the myth of the Indian Constitution as a self-sustaining miracle of democracy. Through 13 sharply argued chapters, it exposes the uneasy compromises, contradictions, and coercions that underlie its founding vision. It interrogates how secularism has often served majoritarian convenience, how caste persists behind constitutional silences, and how institutions bend when power demands it. From the essential practices doctrine to the ghost of preventive detention, the book reveals a document both visionary and vulnerable. In an era of democratic backsliding, it asks a brutal question: can a Constitution drafted in idealism survive a politics addicted to erosion?
Group Captain Pramod Kumar Sharma offers a distinctive insight into constitutional analysis, blending three decades of honourable military service with profound intellectual involvement in issues of law, justice,and governance. He was born at Aligarh in 1965 and graduated from Aligarh Muslim University. Commissioned to the Indian Air Force in 1986, he served there in outstanding distinction until retirement in 2022.During his military service, Group Captain Sharma was an expert in administration and intelligence, cultivating the analytical acumen and institutional knowledge that shape this book. His career was rewarded with numerous accolades, including Commander-in-Chief's Commendation, nomination for the Vishisht Seva Medal by the Prime Minister, and the highly coveted Vayu Sena Medal presented by the President of India.His constitutional scholarship derives from experience with the institutions and complexities of India. Having worked at various places and having seen the chasm between constitutional principles and administrative practice, he is both an insider and a critic of questions of governance, secularism, and institutional change.Based currently in Gurugram, Group Captain Sharma directs his passion for public service through "Sheetal's Foundation for the Voiceless and Underprivileged," an NGO that addresses food security, health, and environmental sustainability. This hands-on interface with social justice concerns informs his grasp of how constitutional ideals manifest as day-to-day struggles for equality and dignity.His constitutional analysis is influenced by his military career: methodical, disciplined, and solution oriented rather than committed to abstract theory. He does not write as a disengaged intellectual but as citizen-soldier who has served the Republic and now wishes to deepen its democratic roots.
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