India, Jan. 26 -- Every year on January 26, India celebrates Republic Day to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution in 1950. The day symbolises the transformation of India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, founded on the principles of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity.

However, more than seven decades later, a critical question increasingly emerges in public discourse: "Is India truly functioning as a republic in both letter and spirit?" An examination of the present scenario marked by rising violence, religious intolerance, poverty, and unemployment reveals that social and economic inequalities significantly hinder the full realisation of republican ideals.

A republic, in its essence, is a sy...