Previous Year Question

The Directive Principles of State Policy are contained in Part IV, Articles 36 to 51 of the Indian Constitution. Under Article 37, they are not enforceable by any court, but they are fundamental in the governance of the country and it is the duty of the State to apply them while making laws.

The Constitution itself does not formally classify the Directive Principles under the labels Socialist, Gandhian and Liberal-Intellectual. This classification is made for convenient study on the basis of their ideological content and objectives. IGNOU study material also identifies Socialist, Gandhian and Liberal-Intellectual influences among the Directive Principles.

Socialist principles relate to socio-economic justice, reduction of inequalities and equitable distribution of resources; Gandhian principles relate to village panchayats, rural development and Gandhi's socio-economic ideas; while Liberal-Intellectual principles include objectives such as a Uniform Civil Code, separation of the judiciary from the executive and international peace.

Thus, all three—Socialist, Liberal-Intellectual and Gandhian—are classifications used for the study of the Directive Principles.