Directive Principles

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) are contained in Part IV (Articles 36-51) of the Indian Constitution, borrowed from the 1937 Irish Constitution. Unlike Fundamental Rights (Part III) which are justiciable and secure political democracy, DPSPs are non-justiciable positive obligations on the State aimed at establishing social and economic democracy and a welfare state. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar called them a 'novel feature' of our Constitution. For competitive exam aspirants, questions frequently target specific Article numbers, classifications (Socialistic, Gandhian, Liberal-Intellectual), constitutional amendments (42nd, 44th, 86th, 97th), key Supreme Court doctrines (Champakam Dorairajan, Golaknath, Kesavananda Bharati, Minerva Mills), and Directives outside Part IV.