Author: Koushik Shaw
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/03030032
Abstract: This research examines the pivotal role of the “Secular Sisterhood”—a cohort of women leaders from Bengal—in shaping the Indian Constitution between 1946 and 1949. While traditional constitutional historiography often prioritizes a male-centric narrative, this study illuminates how figures such as Renuka Ray, Malati Choudhury, and Leela Roy synthesized liberal constitutionalism with radical social reform to challenge the dual structures of communalism and patriarchy. The study specifically investigates the strategic ideological shift from “particularist” protections to “Gender Universalism,” evidenced by their staunch rejection of reserved seats in favour of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC). By analyzing their contributions to equality jurisprudence, the research demonstrates that these leaders utilized secularism not merely as a tool for religious harmony, but as a feminist instrument to liberate women from the restrictive “private sphere” of religious personal laws. The findings suggest that while their universalist gamble led to a temporary decline in formal representation in post-independence elections, their intellectual labour successfully institutionalized substantive gender equality within the Fundamental Rights. This study bridges the gap between feminist theory and political science, redefining the women of the Constituent Assembly as central architects of the modern secular republic.
Keywords: Secular Sisterhood, Constituent Assembly of India, Gender Universalism, Uniform Civil Code(UCC), Bengal Women Leaders, Patriarchy and Communalism.
Page No: 296-304