Need for 'constitutional morality' stressed

Hyderabad, Feb 25 (UNI) Indian Council of Social Science Research Chairman Andre Beteille has said in the absence of 'constitutional morality,' the operation of a constitution, no matter how carefully written, tended to become ''arbitrary, erratic and capricious.'' Delivering a Dr B R Ambedkar Memorial Lecture on 'Constitutional Morality,' Prof Beteille said it was not possible in a democratic order to insulate completely the domain of law from that of politics.

Without some infusion of Constitutional morality among legislators, judges, lawyers, ministers, civil servants, writers and public intellectuals, the Constitution becames a plaything of power brokers.

Dr Ambedkar's observations on constitutional morality made at a critical juncture in India' social and political life were of the utmost signicance not only for the backward classes or the minorities but for all Indians.

The constituent assembly brought together a galaxy of outstanding people, remarkable for their intellectual ability, political acumen and moral standing. Yet, Dr Ambedkar stood out as the most clear-sighted in his understanding of the contradictions facing Indian society at the time, he said.

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