The gulf between the idyllic portrayals of the early years of Independence and the awkward realities of politics has been lucidly documented by Tripurdaman Singh in this book. This isn’t revisionist history but a clear snapshot of the first tensions between constitutional values and political priorities. Nehru emerges not as a villain but as a hard-nosed politician. A must-read ― Swapan Dasgupta

Over the years, amending independent India’s Constitution (of Jan 1950), with its glamorous chapter on fundamental rights, has become a favourite pastime for all national governments. Written in eloquent prose, this book tells us, for the rst time, the detailed story of when, why and how it all started-with the Constitution (First Amendment) Act of June 1951- and also about the distinguished men and women of the time who resisted its passage, through India’s provisional parliament, strictly on principle. is well-researched treatise is a must-read-since it will change quite fundamentally gloried and exaggerated notions of India’s constitutional history. Reading through its pages will also help us better understand some of the advantages (as well as some of the perils) of super-majoritarian governments at the Centre ― Fali S. Nariman

This book is dynamite. It will shock those who take a rosy view of the Constitution and the freedoms it grants to Indian citizens. e author shows with impressive historical scholarship that the original 1949 Constitution was subverted fteen months after its adoption by none other than the rest prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. e First Amendment, passed by the same body that had formulated the Constitution, abridged the fundamental rights by qualifying them in favour of the State. is story, so far untold, should lead to a serious re-examination of the history and contents of the Constitution. It should inspire a movement for going back to the original Constitution, purging it of later distortions ― Meghnad Desai