Chairman, Drafting Committee
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956 · Mhow, Central Provinces (now Madhya Pradesh)
Jurist, economist and social reformer who chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly. Widely regarded as the chief architect of the Constitution of India, he steered the drafting of fundamental rights, directive principles, and the safeguards against discrimination that define the modern Republic.
Portrait: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Contributions to the Constitution
- Chaired the seven-member Drafting Committee that produced the draft Constitution presented in November 1948.
- Drove the incorporation of a strong Chapter on Fundamental Rights, including the abolition of untouchability.
- Shaped the framework for reservations and safeguards for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- Defended constitutional morality, single citizenship, and a strong Union in the Assembly debates.
Articles shaped
Article 14
Equality before law and equal protection of the laws.
Article 17
Abolition of untouchability — a provision he personally championed.
Article 21
Protection of life and personal liberty.
Article 32
Right to constitutional remedies — which he called the 'heart and soul' of the Constitution.
Article 46
Directive Principle promoting educational and economic interests of SCs, STs and weaker sections.
In their own words
"Constitutional morality is not a natural sentiment. It has to be cultivated. We must realise that our people have yet to learn it."
"If I find the Constitution being misused, I shall be the first to burn it."
Legacy
Ambedkar's insistence on justiciable fundamental rights, constitutional remedies, and social justice provisions gave the Constitution its transformative character. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1990.