MAHANADI COAL FIELDS LTD Vs. MATHIAS ORAM
LAWS(SC)-2010-7-107
SUPREME COURT OF INDIA (FROM: BOMBAY)
Decided on July 19,2010

MAHANADI COAL FIELDS LTD. Appellant
VERSUS
MATHIAS ORAM Respondents

JUDGEMENT

Aftab Alam, J. - (1.) Speaking in the Constituent Assembly on November 25, 1949 Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution of India made one of the most incisive remarks on it:On the 26th of January 1950, India would be a democratic country in the sense that India from that day would have a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The same thought comes to my mind. What would happen to her democratic Constitution Will she be able to maintain it or will she lose it again This is the second thought that comes to my mind and makes me as anxious as the first.... ...On the 26th of January 1950, we are going to enter into a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life, we shall, by reason of our social and economic structure, continue to deny the principle of one man one value. How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions How long shall we continue to deny equality in our social and economic life If we continue to deny it for long, we will do so only by putting our political democracy in peril. We must remove this contradiction at the earliest possible moment or else those who suffer from inequality will blow up the structure of political democracy which this Assembly has so laboriously built up. What would have been Dr. Ambedkar's reaction to the facts of this case This is one of the thoughts in our mind while dealing with the case.
(2.) Since independence India has indeed covered a long way on the pathof development and economic growth. It continues to take long strides on that path. But how far have we been able to live down the fears expressed by Dr. Ambedkar about our democratic Constitution How far have we been able to get rid of the contradictions in our life This case raises these difficult questions.
(3.) We are anxious that India should develop and grow fast and becomestrong to take its rightful place in the comity of nations.;


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