Institute of Law, Nirma University under its Centre of Law and Governance organised a Two-day International Workshop on “Assembling India’s Constitution” on March 21-22, 2026. The workshop focused on the idea of “assembling” as against the “founding” of the Constitution, and discussed Rohit De and Ornit Shani’s ‘Assembling India’s Constitution: A New Democratic History’ alongside contemporary debates.
The event encompassed moderated discussions and sessions by Prof. Valerian Rodrigues and Prof. Lajwanti Chatani, who reflected upon the foundational framework through a political-historical lens. Chatani emphasised the process of assembling the sovereignty across princely states, provinces and public servants. Discussion on ‘who constitutes the people’ in ‘We the people’, helped develop a nuanced understanding of the indigenous nature of our Constitution. Prof. Rodrigues, particularly examined the relationship between B.R. Ambedkar and his political stance, and reflected upon exclusionary and constructive pluralism. The online address by Prof. Rohit De and Prof. Ornit Shani further examined the democratic origins of the Constitution, and highlighted the participatory nature of constitutional assembly as the central argument of their book. Presentations by selected participants significantly contributed to the deliberation, with insights on the themes like constitutional morality and social justice in the present context. The valedictory address by Prof. Rodrigues, reaffirmed the significance of social democracy, underscoring fraternity as a core yet insufficiently-realised constitutional value.
The academic rigour and engagement throughout the workshop, reflects the commitment of the Institute to foster meaningful dialogue on the evolving challenges to Indian Constitutionalism.