Public Administration: M T Zaman

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Constitutional Values and the Preamble of the

Constitution (Indian Administration)
The constitutional values are reflected in the entire Constitution of India, but its Preamble embodies
‘the fundamental values and the philosophy on which the Constitution is based’.
The Preamble to any Constitution is a brief introductory statement that conveys the guiding principles
of the document. The Preamble to the Indian Constitution also does so. The values expressed in the
Preamble are expressed as ideals and objectives of the Constitution. These are sovereignty,
socialism, secularism, democracy, republican character of the Indian State, justice, liberty,
equality, fraternity, human dignity and the unity and integrity of the Nation. Let us discuss these
constitutional values:
Sovereignty: The Preamble declares India “a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic”. Being
sovereign means having complete political freedom and being the supreme authority. It implies that
India is internally all-powerful and externally free. It is free to determine for itself without any external
interference (either by any country or individual) and nobody is there within to challenge its authority.
This feature of sovereignty gives us the dignity of existence as a nation in the international
community. The ‘strategic autonomy’ exercised by India in its relations with world countries amidst
pressures from powerful countries is a manifestation of assertion of that sovereignty.
Though the Constitution does not specify where the sovereign authority lies but a mention of „We the
People of India‟ in the Preamble clearly indicates that sovereignty rests with the people of India. This
means that the constitutional authorities and organs of government derive their power only from the
people.
Socialism: We all are aware that social and economic inequalities have been inherent in Indian
traditional society. And, without removing such deeply entrenched inequalities and injustices any talk
of a democratic and just social order would be meaningless. This is why socialism has been made a
constitutional value aimed at promoting socio-economic transformation of Indian society to end all
forms of inequalities and establishing an egalitarian social order.
To this end, our Constitution directs the governments and the people to ensure a planned and
coordinated social development in all fields. It directs to prevent the concentration of wealth and
power in fewer hands. The Constitution has specific provisions that deal with inequalities in the
Chapters on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy. The provisions in the DPSP
chapter envisage India to be a „welfare state‟- a state that cares for the marginalised and the
vulnerable.
However, the word „socialist‟ in the Preamble should not be misconstrued to mean the concept of
“state socialism”, i.e the Marxian socialism that advocates abolition of private ownership of the means
of production and state ownership of the resources. In India, we have adopted socialism as an end,
rather than as a means. Country‟s first PM Pundit Nehru, while addressing the Awadhi session of the
INC in 1956 clarified that our objective was not to follow socialism per se, but to establish a “socialistic
pattern of society”. This goal, he said, could be achieved by means of a mixed economy model,
wherein both public and private sector would co-exist. Our public sector had then a bigger role in
driving the economy since in our country at that time both private capital and private enterprise was
missing. Post-1991 LPG era, however, within this framework of mixed economy model, the role of the
private sector has increased substantially while the public sector is also contributing in strategic
sectors of economy and working together with the private sector in a collaborative mode.
Even today the successive govts are spending highly on social welfare measures- from education,
health to rural development etc. Hence, our goal still remains the same, while approach towards the
goal has changed a little. Thus the value of „socialism‟ in the preamble still remains valid.

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Secularism: We all are pleased when anyone says that India is home to almost all major religions in
the world. In the context of this plurality, secularism is seen as a great constitutional value.
Secularism in the Indian context implies that the state has no official religion nor does it patronise one.
Our country is not guided by any one religion or any religious considerations. However, the Indian
state is not against religion. It allows all its citizens to practice, profess and propagate any religion
they follow. It gives equal treatment to all religions. Further, it prohibits any discrimination between
citizens only on grounds of religion.
However, unlike the West, Indian secularism is not based on complete separation of state from
religious affairs. It only maintains “a principled distance” from people‟s religious affairs. Unlike in the
West where religion is considered private personal affair of individual and groups, in India state does
intervene in religious matters when certain religious practices are found to be in contravention to
constitutional values of individual dignity, gender justice etc. Abolition of “triple talaq” practice among
Muslims, the practice of “sati”, untouchability etc. among Hindus are such examples of state‟s
intervention.
Democracy: The Preamble reflects democracy as a value. In a democracy people are the ultimate
source of political authority. Hence, as a form of government, it derives its authority from the will of the
people. The people elect the rulers of the country and the elected representatives remain accountable
to the people.
The people of India elect them to be part of the government at different levels by a system of
universal adult franchise, popularly known as „one man one vote‟. Democracy contributes to stability,
continuous progress in society and it secures peaceful political change.
It allows dissent and encourages tolerance. And more importantly, it is based on the principles of rule
of law, inalienable rights of citizens, independence of the judiciary, free and fair elections and freedom
of the press.
However, democracy is both a means and an end. The political aspect of democracy is the
instrumental (or means) aspect to achieve larger ends, i.e social and economic democracy. In other
words, our practice of democracy should not remain confined to only political sphere, rather it should
transcend to the social and economic spheres as well. It should become a way of life.
Dr.B.R. Ambedkar observed, “Political democracy can hardly last long unless there lies at the base
social democracy. Social democracy means a way of life that recognizes liberty, equality and
fraternity as essential and forming a trinity.”
Republic: India is not only a democratic nation but is also a republic. The most important symbol of
being a republic is the office of the Head of the State, i.e. the President of India who is elected by the
people and is not nominated on the basis of heredity, as is found in a monarchy.
This value strengthens and substantiates democracy where every citizen of India is equally eligible for
occupying the highest office. Thus, political equality is the central message of this value in our
Constitution.
Justice: At times you may also realize that living in a democratic system alone does not ensure
justice to citizens in all its totality. Even now we find a number of cases where not only social and
economic justice but also political justice is denied.
This is why, the constitution-makers have included social, economic and political justice as
constitutional values. By doing so, they have stressed that the political freedom granted to Indian
citizens has to be instrumental in the creation of a new social order, based on socio-economic justice.
Justice must be made available to every citizen. This idea of a just and egalitarian society remains as
one of the foremost values of the Indian Constitution. It implies fairness, equitable allocation of
resources, creating conditions for a dignified life, guaranteeing equal opportunity to all etc.

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Liberty: India is a „liberal state‟ that upholds freedom of individual to the greatest extent. The
Preamble prescribes „liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship‟ as one of the core
values. These have to be assured to every member of all the communities.
It has been done so because the ideals of democracy cannot be attained without the presence of
certain minimal rights which are essential for a free society and civilized existence of individuals.
Equality: It means no discrimination and fair and equal treatment. Equality is a significant
constitutional value as any other. The Constitution ensures equality of status and opportunity to every
citizen for the development of the best in him/her.
As a human being, everybody has a dignified self and to ensure its full enjoyment, inequality in any
form present in our country and society has been prohibited. Equality reflected specifically in the
Preamble is therefore held as an important value.
Fraternity: There is also a commitment made in the Preamble to promote the value of fraternity that
stands for the spirit of common brotherhood among all the people of India cutting across region,
religion, caste, ethnicity etc. India is often referred to as a „nation of nations‟. In other words, Indian
nationalism is based on the concepts of pluralism and unity in diversity. In the absence of fraternity, a
plural society like India stands divided and weak. So nationalism needs to be strengthened and that
can be done by working towards individual‟s dignity and unity and integrity of the nation.
Therefore, to give meaning to all the ideals like justice, liberty and equality, the Preamble lays great
emphasis on fraternity.
In fact, the fraternity can be realized not only by abolishing inhuman social practices such as
untouchability, forced labour, exploitation of the poor by the rich etc. but also by creating conditions
wherein everybody in society is able to lead a minimum basic standard of life.
The dignity of the individual: For the promotion of fraternity it is essential to realize the dignity of the
individual. It is essential to secure the dignity of every individual without which democracy cannot
function.
It ensures equal participation of every individual in all the processes of democratic governance.
Unity and integrity of the Nation: As we have seen above, the fraternity also promotes one of the
critical values, i.e. unity and integrity of the nation. To maintain the independence of the country intact,
the unity and integrity of the nation are very essential.
Therefore, the stress has been given to fostering unity amongst all the inhabitants of the country. Our
Constitution expects from all the citizens of India to uphold and protect the unity and integrity of India
as a matter of duty.

International peace and a just international order: The value of international peace and just
international order, though not included in the Preamble is reflected in other provisions of the
Constitution. The Indian Constitution directs the state
(a) to promote international peace and security,
(b) maintain just and honorable relations between nations,
(c) foster respect for international law and treaty obligations, and
(d) encourage settlement of international disputes by arbitration.
To uphold and observe these values is in the interest of India. The peace and just international order
will definitely contribute to the development of India.

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