Abstract

The relationship between the state and society in India has evolved through centuries of political restructuring cultural negotiation constitutional transformation and democratic deepening. India’s social fabric consists of complex layers of caste religion language ethnicity class hierarchies gender norms and regional diversities which continuously interact with institutions of governance. The modern Indian state established through the Constitution of 1950 emerged as a unique experiment where liberal-democratic structures were superimposed upon a deeply plural unequal and tradition-bound society. This research paper critically examines the historical constitutional sociological and political dimensions of state–society relations in India while situating them within contemporary developments such as globalization digital governance identity politics welfare policies and new forms of social mobilization. The paper highlights how the Indian state has simultaneously acted as a mediator re