This paper explores the often-overlooked yet foundational role of the fifteen women members of India’s Constituent Assembly (1946–1950) in drafting the Indian Constitution. While historical accounts frequently centre on the male “Founding Fathers,” the women members—including figures like Hansa Mehta, Dakshayani Velayudhan, and Ammu Swaminathan—were crucial architects of the country’s commitment to social revolution and radical equality. The study argues that their contributions transcended narrow gender concerns, profoundly shaping the Constitution’s core principles of democracy, secularism, and social justice. Through rigorous analysis of the Constituent Assembly Debates (CAD), this research highlights their successful advocacy for universal adult franchise, their insistence on gender-neutral language in the Fundamental Right to Equality (Article 15), their powerful stands against caste discrimination (Article 17), and their push for socio-economic rights within the Directive Principles of State Policy. Ultimately, these women were instrumental in embedding an inclusive national vision into the supreme law, transforming the Constitution from a mere legal framework into a charter of progressive social change. Their legacy is critical to understanding the true, multifaceted origins of modern Indian polity.
Sonia Rani (Thu,) studied this question.