India, Jan. 7 -- On the occasion of the 77th Constitution Day, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant articulated an idea of constitutional morality that is deeply embedded in the Constitution. The view that cultural and civic sentiments support freedom, prompt self-restraint, and secure adherence to constitutional norms and engender respect for institutions beyond legal rules and regulations underpin the original idea of constitutional morality. British historian George Grote first spoke of "constitutional morality", in his work, A History of Greece, describing it as a sentiment underlying written rules, producing the civic consciousness essential for democratic governance.

In 1948, BR Ambedkar, the chief architect of India's Constitut...