Measuring roughly 20 centimetres in length and nine centimetres in breadth, a leather-bound copy of the Constitution, which was frequently flashed by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi during the Lok Sabha elections has a deep Lucknow connection thanks to its publishers, who first printed it in 2009.
And if publishers Eastern Book Company are to be believed, people have started showing more interest in the coat pocket edition of the Constitution after Gandhi pulled it out on several occasions during the campaign.
Sumeet Malik, one of the directors of the Eastern Book Company, told PTI that the idea of printing a court pocket edition came from Supreme Court advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who suggested that they should publish a version that fits easily in the lawyers’ court pockets.
“The first edition was launched in 2009 and there have been about 16 editions of this book, which have been published so far. And over the years, these copies have been purchased by many lawyers and judges, and also given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ram Nath Kovind when he became the President of India,” said Malik.
He added that the book has also been gifted by dignitaries to each other. The Supreme Court judges also carry copies when travelling abroad to gift a copy to their counterparts.