Members of Hindu society thought to have been removed from the Caste System, with no hope of returning to it, due to their misdeeds in previous lives. Work that is deemed unclean for all other Hindus is reserved for these Outcasts. After winning its independence from Great Britain in 1947, India adopted a national constitution which stated that "Untouchability is abolished and its practise in any form is forbidden." Since that time many Caste reforms have been enacted to diminish discriminatory practises in India. Today, the Caste System still exists in practice, despite the many laws designed to legally abolish it.