DPSP
Part IV tells the state what to aim at. None of it is enforceable in court, which is exactly what makes it examinable: questions test whether you know which goal sits in which article, and how the courts have balanced these against fundamental rights.
Mental model
Three-column contrast is the fastest way to hold this: FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS (Part III) are justiciable, negative, limit the state; DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES (Part IV, Articles 36-51) are NON-justiciable, positive, direct the state — 'instructions to the government of the day', borrowed from Ireland; FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES (Part IVA, Article 51A) are non-justiciable obligations on the citizen, added by the 42nd Amendment on the Swaran Singh Committee's recommendation. Within Part IV, sort the principles into three families — Socialist (equal pay, living wage, health), Gandhian (village panchayats under Article 40, cottage industries, cow protection, prohibition), and Liberal-Intellectual (uniform civil code under Article 44, separation of judiciary from executive under Article 50, international peace under Article 51).
Associations
A short trigger on the left, everything it pulls with it on the right.
Non-justiciable, but fundamental to governance.
Article 37 says the directive principles are not enforceable by any court, yet are fundamental in the governance of the country. That single sentence is the answer to most conceptual questions on this topic.
40 panchayats, 44 uniform civil code, 48A environment, 50 separation.
Four article numbers carry most of the marks in this part: Article 40 on village panchayats, Article 44 on a uniform civil code, Article 48A on protection of environment and forests (added by the 42nd Amendment), and Article 50 on separating the judiciary from the executive.
Things to remember
The night-before list. Short enough to recall cold.
- 1Directive principles are in Part IV, Articles 36 to 51, and were inspired by the Irish constitution.
- 2Article 39A provides for equal justice and free legal aid; Article 43 for a living wage; Article 47 for raising nutrition and prohibiting intoxicating drinks.
- 3Articles 48A (environment) and 43A (workers' participation in management) were added by the 42nd Amendment.
- 4Gujarat's long-standing prohibition policy is often cited as a state acting on Article 47.
- 5In Minerva Mills the Supreme Court held that harmony and balance between fundamental rights and directive principles is itself part of the basic structure.
In detail
- Directive Principles are in Part IV, Articles 36 to 51, are not enforceable by any court under Article 37, yet are declared fundamental in the governance of the country.
- Article 40 directs the state to organise village panchayats, Article 44 speaks of a uniform civil code, Article 47 of prohibition of intoxicating drinks, and Article 50 of separating the judiciary from the executive.
- Fundamental Duties were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee; a duty regarding education of one's child was added later by the 86th Amendment, making eleven in all.
- Directive Principles were inspired by the Constitution of Ireland; Dr. Ambedkar described them as 'novel features' and the Constitution's instrument of instructions.
- Article 51A is the article containing Fundamental Duties, and unlike Fundamental Rights they apply only to citizens.
Where people slip
- Directive principles are not enforceable, but they are not optional either — Article 37 calls them fundamental in governance. Options saying they carry no constitutional weight are wrong.
Check yourself
Nothing here is scored — it will not change your mastery figures.
The Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution are borrowed from the constitution of:
From the question bank
The Directive Principles of State Policy are contained in which Part of the Indian Constitution?
From the question bank
Consider the following statements about the Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP): 1. Article 37 states that DPSPs are not enforceable by any court. 2. Article 37 also states that DPSPs are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country. 3. DPSPs were borrowed from the Constitution of Ireland. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Books to read
- NCERT Class XI — Indian Constitution at Work
- Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
- Introduction to the Constitution of India by D. D. Basu
Official sources
Hand-checked official domains only — the notes above carry no links of their own.