The article deals with the analysis of the features of constitutional development of India during the period of independence. It is noted that the most important objective of the 1950 Constitution was to achieve social justice, i.e. to organize Indian society in such a way that the main source of injustice in social relations is eliminated - discrimination on the basis of caste, gender, race, religion, and place of residence. Called upon to break the shackles of traditional social hierarchies, the Constitution inevitably becomes a document open to change. The understanding of the Constitution as a living one, not frozen in time according to the original intentions of its framers, but freely evolving in accordance with changing conditions, is being asserted in India. Indian legal scholars put forward two main concepts of interpretation of the fundamental law - the concept of constitutional nationalism and the concept of constitutional cosmopolitanism. Proponents of the first concept emphasize that a constitution arises in specific circumstances, is intended for a specific society, and should be interpreted solely in the light of the relevant national culture, abstracting from any external influence. Constitutional cosmopolitans, in turn, note the growing convergence of constitutional texts, especially in the area of human rights, and believe that courts have the right to refer to foreign and international legal documents when interpreting constitutional provisions. The Supreme Court of India has taken a rather cosmopolitan stance in recent decades, holding that constitutional ideals must be continually transformed into reality by promoting respect for human rights, encouraging pluralism and facilitating harmonization, i.e. unity amidst diversity. In conclusion, it is pointed out that modern Indian society is moving along its own progressive path, which lies between the past and the future, traditionalism and liberalism, doubts and achievements, and this, in fact, determines the dialectic of India’s constitutional development.