The National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bengaluru, is organising a public lecture on “Gandhi’s Swaraj as a Constitutional Idea: The Afterlives of Decentralised Constitutionalism in India” by Matthew Idiculla on 03 August 2026 at 5 PM in the Conference Hall, Ground Floor Training Centre, NLSIU.

About the Lecture

Mahatma Gandhi is rarely regarded as a constitutional thinker. His scepticism towards the modern state has largely obscured his influence on constitutional thought and his role, albeit limited, in crafting and inspiring alternative constitutions. Through this paper, Matthew examines Swaraj, specifically Gram Swaraj (village self-rule), as a constitutional idea. The paper traces Gram Swaraj through Gandhi’s writings and historical or aspirational constitutional documents, including the Gandhian Constitution for Free India and the Aundh State Constitution. It explores Gram Swaraj as an alternative constitutional imaginary, or a phantom constitution, that was debated, never realised, yet continued to inform constitutional thought. Although the Constituent Assembly appeared to reject the Gandhian alternative by embracing a centralised parliamentary democracy, the Constitution nevertheless incorporated a commitment to village Panchayats within the Directive Principles of State Policy, which acquired an interesting constitutional afterlife in the 1990s. This paper examines whether, and to what extent, the constitutional reforms for decentralisation, through measures enabling Panchayati Raj and Adivasi self-governance, resonate with Gandhi’s idea of Gram Swaraj. It argues that Swaraj, and its adaptation into modern constitutional frameworks for community self-governance, offer a rich intellectual repertoire for pursuing an alternative decentralised constitutional order.

About the Speaker

Mathew Idiculla is a Doctoral Scholar and Teaching Fellow at the Faculty of Law & Justice, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney and a Visiting Doctoral Scholar at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU). His research interests are broadly in the areas of democracy, federalism, and constitutionalism, especially in the context of local governance. His doctoral thesis explores the idea and practice of decentralised constitutionalism in India, through an examination of the city as a site and unit of authority. Prior to joining UNSW, Mathew worked as a legal consultant and academic in India for over 12 years. He was a research associate and visiting faculty at Azim Premji University (APU), a research consultant at the Centre for Law and Policy Research (CLPR), and a visiting faculty at NLSIU. He has been part of multiple international research and consultancy projects on topics related to urban governance, planning, land, environment, and livelihoods and has actively engaged with urban policymaking across various states in India. Mathew writes frequently on various law and policy issues in the op-ed pages of India’s leading publications, and his scholarly work has appeared in multiple books and peer-reviewed journals.