The Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) is a concept and a set of constitutional provisions enshrined in Part IV of the Indian Constitution, covering Articles 36 to 51. The DPSP was created to serve as guidelines for the Union and State governments, aiming to establish a welfare state and secure socio-economic justice for the people. The concept was inspired by the Irish Constitution of 1937, which itself drew from the Spanish Constitution. The DPSP solved the problem of outlining the aspirational goals of the newly independent nation, which the framers intended to be the basis of all executive and legislative action in the governance of the country.
The core mechanism is that the principles are non-justiciable, meaning they cannot be enforced by any court, but Article 37 declares them to be "fundamental in the governance of the country". Key provisions include Article 38, which directs the State to promote the welfare of the people by securing a social order animated by justice. Other directives include securing a Uniform Civil Code (Article 44) and separating the judiciary from the executive (Article 50).
The DPSP is intrinsically connected to Fundamental Rights (Part III), with the two parts containing the philosophy of the Constitution. The relationship has been a subject of judicial interpretation, notably in State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951), where the Supreme Court ruled that Fundamental Rights would prevail over DPSP. However, the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, often called the 'Mini-Constitution,' significantly changed the DPSP by adding Article 39A (free legal aid), Article 43A (workers' participation in management), and Article 48A (protection of environment). The 44th Amendment Act, 1978, added a clause to Article 38 to minimize inequalities in income, status, facilities, and opportunities. The 86th Amendment Act of 2002 changed the subject matter of Article 45 and made elementary education a Fundamental Right under Article 21A. The Supreme Court, in Minerva Mills v. Union of India (1980), struck down the provision of the 42nd Amendment that gave DPSP supremacy over Fundamental Rights, reiterating that the Constitution rests on a balance between the two.