Classification of DPSPs

Notes

The Constitution does not classify DPSPs. Scholars (e.g., M.P. Jain) have grouped them by their ideology into three categories.

1. Socialistic principles

Art. 38 (social order, minimise inequality), Art. 39(b),(c) and (d), Art. 39A (free legal aid), Art. 41 (right to work), Art. 42 (humane work, maternity relief), Art. 43 (living wage), Art. 43A (workers in management), Art. 47 (nutrition, public health).
Implementation: abolition of zamindari, land ceilings, bank nationalisation, Minimum Wages Act 1948, Equal Remuneration Act 1976 (now subsumed in the Code on Wages, 2019), Legal Services Authorities Act 1987, MGNREGA 2005, National Food Security Act 2013, Maternity Benefit Act 1961 (26 weeks from 2017).

2. Gandhian principles

Art. 40 (village panchayats), Art. 43 (cottage industries), Art. 43B (cooperatives), Art. 46 (SC/ST and weaker sections), Art. 47 (prohibition of intoxicants), Art. 48 (cow and cattle protection).
Implementation: 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) created Panchayati Raj and municipalities; 97th Amendment on cooperatives; Khadi and Village Industries Commission; reservations for SC/ST.

3. Liberal-intellectual principles

Art. 44 (Uniform Civil Code), Art. 45 (early childhood care and education), Art. 48 (scientific agriculture), Art. 48A (environment, forests, wildlife), Art. 49 (monuments), Art. 50 (separation of judiciary from executive), Art. 51 (international peace).
Implementation: CrPC 1973 separated judiciary and executive; Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972; Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Act 1958.
UCC: Goa has a common civil code; the Supreme Court has urged it (Shah Bano, 1985; Sarla Mudgal, 1995); Uttarakhand enacted a UCC in 2024 (in force from 2025).

Directives outside Part IV

Art. 335: claims of SC/ST to services.
Art. 350A: facilities for mother-tongue instruction at the primary stage.
Art. 351: promotion of the Hindi language.

Judicial view on Art. 39(b)

Property Owners Association v State of Maharashtra (2024), nine-judge bench (7:2): not every privately owned resource is a "material resource of the community" under Art. 39(b); partly overruled earlier broader readings (Ranganatha Reddy, Sanjeev Coke).

Key Points

Three groups: socialistic, Gandhian, liberal-intellectual.
Socialistic: Art. 38, 39, 39A, 41, 42, 43, 43A, 47.
Gandhian: Art. 40, 43, 43B, 46, 47, 48.
Liberal-intellectual: Art. 44, 45, 48, 48A, 49, 50, 51.
Outside Part IV: Art. 335, 350A, 351.

MCQs

Q1. Which of the following is a Gandhian principle?
(a) Art. 39A
(b) Art. 40
(c) Art. 44
(d) Art. 50
Ans: (b). Village panchayats.

Q2. The Uniform Civil Code (Art. 44) is classified under:
(a) Socialistic principles
(b) Gandhian principles
(c) Liberal-intellectual principles
(d) None
Ans: (c).

Q3. Which Directive Principle was added by the 97th Amendment, 2011?
(a) Art. 43A
(b) Art. 43B
(c) Art. 39A
(d) Art. 48A
Ans: (b). Promotion of cooperative societies.