The Indian Constitution, a topic that became a major issue in the Lok Sabha election, has once again sparked political controversy in election-bound Maharashtra. The BJP has criticized the Congress for distributing blank-page copies of the ‘Constitution of India’ at a Rahul Gandhi event. Amid the ongoing political clash, the question arises: who actually publishes the Constitution?
The controversy began after Rahul Gandhi’s Samvidhan Samman Sammelan convention in Nagpur. A video shared by the Maharashtra BJP on social media went viral, showing books labeled ‘Constitution of India’ on the front, but containing only blank pages except for the preamble on the first page.
संविधान सिर्फ बहाना है
लाल पुस्तक को बढ़ाना है
मोहब्बत के नाम पर
सिर्फ नफरत फैलाना है…काँग्रेसला भारताचे संविधान असेच कोरे करायचे आहे.
डॉक्टर बाबासाहेब आंबेडकरांनी लिहिलेले सर्व कायदे अनुच्छेद वगळून टाकायचे आहेत. म्हणूनच तर राहुल गांधींनी मध्यंतरी आरक्षण रद्द करणार ही… pic.twitter.com/C94Wa3CZee— भाजपा महाराष्ट्र (@BJP4Maharashtra) November 6, 2024
“This said Constitution copy was distributed at Rahul Gandhi’s rally/meeting. It turns out to be as blank as Congress’ guarantees. Justice like Nakli Gandhi, this is Nakli. It is an insult to Sanvidhan and Babasaheb Ambedkar by Congress. They will be punished for this by people,” BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X.
In response, the Congress clarified that it was a notepad.
This said Constitution copy was distributed at Rahul Gandhi’s rally / meeting
It turns out to be as blank as Congress’ guarantees
Justice like Nakli Gandhi this is Nakli
It is an insult to Sanvidhan and Babasaheb Ambedkar by CongressThey will be punished for this by people pic.twitter.com/Su3HMYXOoM
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) November 7, 2024
The Constitution of India is officially published by the Survey of India, Dehradun, on behalf of the Lok Sabha. These copies are made available in 22 scheduled languages and are updated with the latest amendments. They can be accessed through the Ministry of Law and Justice’s website, specifically the Legislative Department and the Official Languages Wing.
The most recent update to the Constitution was made on May 1, 2024. The latest amendment, the 106th amendment, was introduced on September 28, 2023. This amendment provided for one-third reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha (330A), state legislative assemblies (332A), and the Delhi Legislative Assembly (239AA) for a period of 15 years after its implementation.
Private publishers can also print and distribute copies of the Constitution, but they are not authorized to make any official amendments or updates to the content.
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According to a reply to an RTI query, the government periodically publishes pocket-sized and A4-sized editions of the Constitution of India, with updated amendments. This is done at the request of the Controller-Publications, the Law Literature Publication, the Legislative Department, and other bodies under the Ministry of Law and Justice in New Delhi, as reported by The Times of India.
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The Ministry of Law and Justice does not provide any specific guidelines or directives for private publishers. The RTI response stated, “There are no specific guidelines and policy on paper and printing quality.”
Both government-issued and privately published copies of the Constitution of India are available for purchase.
The official version of the Constitution is available on Kindle for Rs 65 on Amazon.
In addition, various versions are published by private publishers, and PDF versions of the Constitution are also available for download.
A paperback edition by Samyak Prakashan is priced at Rs 500, with several other editions available both online and in bookstores.
While the people of India are the ultimate custodians of the Constitution, its updated versions are published by the Survey of India. Once the original copy is published and uploaded, private publishers are free to produce and sell copies, making it easy for anyone to purchase and circulate them.
