​After independence the issue of untouchability has been best addressed by whom?​

Correct option is A

The correct answer is (a) Constitution.
After India gained independence in 1947, the framers of the Indian Constitution made a deliberate and powerful effort to eliminate social evils like untouchability. Article 17 of the Constitution of India explicitly abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form. It declares that "Untouchability" is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden. The enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability shall be an offense punishable in accordance with the law. Further, various laws like the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have been enacted to give teeth to constitutional mandates.

Information Booster

• Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability completely and categorically prohibits its practice.
• Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 was passed to prescribe punishment for the preaching and practice of untouchability.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a key architect of the Constitution, was a strong advocate for the abolition of untouchability and social discrimination.
• Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was legislated to prevent atrocities and hate crimes against marginalized communities.
• The Constitutional provisions provided a framework for social justice, enabling various government schemes and programs for the welfare and development of Scheduled Castes and Tribes.

Additional Information

• (b) School:
  Schools have played a role in socializing children toward equality and fraternity, but they are not the primary institution that legally abolished untouchability. Their influence is secondary and educational rather than judicial or legislative.
• (c) Religious bodies:
  Although some religious reformers and bodies have advocated against untouchability (e.g., the efforts by Mahatma Gandhi and the Arya Samaj), religious institutions overall have been inconsistent. In many cases, religious traditions historically perpetuated caste hierarchies.
• (d) Mass Media:
  Mass media have helped raise awareness and changed public opinion about untouchability and caste discrimination, especially post-independence. However, media influence is more about social sensitization than legal prohibition or structural change.