Democratic decentralisation in India refers to the systematic transfer of authority, responsibility, and resources from higher levels of government to elected bodies at the local level, enabling people to participate directly in governance. Its evolution has been shaped by India’s historical experience, constitutional developments, political debates, and administrative reforms, and its significance lies in deepening democracy, promoting participatory development, and strengthening local self-government. The roots of decentralised governance in India can be traced to ancient and medieval periods when village communities functioned as relatively autonomous units. Village sabhas and councils managed local affairs, resolved disputes, and organised community resources. During the Mughal period, although the state was highly centralised, villages continued to retain a degree of self-regulation in matters of land revenue and local administration. British colonial rule initially disrupted indigenous local institutions due to excessive centralisation, but administrative necessities and financial constraints gradually led the colonial state to revive local bodies. Lord Ripon’s Resolution of 1882 is often regarded as the foundation of local self-government in modern India, as it advocated elected local bodies, non-official participation, and decentralisation of administrative responsibilities. However, these institutions remained weak, financially dependent, and subordinate to colonial authorities. In the nationalist movement, democratic decentralisation acquired ideological and political significance. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi strongly advocated village self-rule through the concept of Gram Swaraj, envisioning self-sufficient villages as the basis of Indian democracy. Gandhi believed that true democracy could function only when power was decentralised to the grassroots, allowing people to govern themselves. In contrast, leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru and B.R. Ambedkar, while supportive of local bodies, were cautious about excessive decentralisation due to concerns about social inequalities, caste domination, and the need for national unity and planned development. These debates influenced the constitutional design after independence. The Constitution of India, adopted in 1950, did not initially grant constitutional status to local self-governments. Instead, it placed them under the Directive Principles of State Policy. Article 40 directed the state to organise village panchayats and endow them with powers to function as units of self-government. This reflected an acknowledgment of decentralisation as a democratic ideal, but its implementation was left to the discretion of states. In the early years of independence, the focus remained on