Equality and Justice in Todayʼs India

“The spirit of the Constitution is to provide equality of status and opportunity to every citizen.” – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

India was once described and celebrated as an unparalleled colorful garden, flourishing under the shadow of peace, with diverse fragrances of cultures, languages, and religions, flavored with coherence, harmony, and tolerance.

For decades, it was a strong emotion, a sense of deep feeling and honor felt by each and every citizen. Unfortunately, this image has been totally distorted in recent years. It has now turned into a ground for accounts of mob attacks and certain clashes triggered against minorities belonging to particular regions, religions, and ethnicities. Moreover, the strange fact is that this kind of violence is completely fueled by those meant to fulfill the commitment to minorities.

Numerically, the bigotry rate in India is one of the highest in the world, according to the Pew Research Center, which reported that over 70% of Indians now believe religious discrimination is a serious problem throughout the nation.

This hard reality discloses the lapse of the country from its profound ideals inscribed in the Preamble of our Constitution, which declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic.

Equality and equity are the main objectives that the Constitution seeks to achieve through the Preamble and beyond, and they are not privileges but our fundamental rights, earned through the long and painful sacrifices of our forefathers during the freedom struggle.

Sadly, when we look at India today—especially the identity politics in North India—we see a clear contrast to the sacred pledge we admired since our childhood: “All Indians are my brothers and sisters.”

Equality directly demonstrates itself in opposition to all sorts of arbitrary discrimination, encompassing region, religion, language, and political ideology. But after the rise of Hindutva politics, it has weakened and has begun to be eroded since 2014.

In India, no political entity can survive or endure without proclaiming adherence to equality. In this same sense, the ruling party often repeats the slogan: “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas” (Together with all, development for all, trust of all). However, reports from international human rights groups show a different picture of current India: growing division and discrimination, especially against Muslims and Christians.

If equality truly existed as proclaimed, it would be reflected in higher positions of power, with fair representation from all communities. Instead, we see these positions not only dominated by party insiders but also gradually being emptied of outsiders.

The Constitution—the soul of our democracy—promises justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens, demanding that everyone be treated with dignity regardless of their religion or background. Yet, in reality, these values have not been fulfilled. Secularism, in particular, often finds itself the most abandoned value, not implemented in practice in general amendment acts and bills. This bias and prejudice are clearly exposed when mosques are demolished while temples are funded. Madrasas are unfairly accused of spreading extremism, while real sources of hate go unchecked.

This raises important questions: Are our laws applied equally? Is justice truly blind? Does every community feel safe and secure? Sadly, the answer is obviously no.

When the pro-ruling government advocates development, it is mute on real basic concerns. When citizens live in fear, when their identity and citizenship are questioned, we have failed them. We have failed the promise of India.

As patriots, we must unite to protect the values of our independence from forces that are weakening its foundations, and if we do not wake up now, India risks sliding into dictatorship, and it may be our last chance to recover.

At this hard time, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s profound quote becomes even more relevant: “The spirit of the Constitution is to provide equality of status and opportunity to every citizen.”