Constitutional text

The provisions contained in this Part shall not be enforceable by any court, but the principles therein laid down are nevertheless fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State in making laws to apply these principles.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

History and context

The Constituent Assembly debated intensely whether the DPSP should be enforceable in court. B. R. Ambedkar argued that making them justiciable would be impractical — a newly independent and impoverished state could not be sued for failing to eliminate poverty overnight. Granville Austin later called them the 'conscience of the Constitution.' The non-justiciability was modelled on the Irish Constitution of 1937, which contained similar directive principles. K. T. Shah moved amendments to make several principles enforceable but was unsuccessful. The framers' consensus was that the DPSP should guide legislation without creating immediate legal liability.

Key Supreme Court cases

State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan (1951)

Supreme Court held that in case of conflict between Fundamental Rights and DPSP, Fundamental Rights prevail, since DPSP are not enforceable. This prompted the First Amendment.

Minerva Mills Ltd. v. Union of India (1980)

Held that harmony between Fundamental Rights and DPSP is part of the basic structure; Parliament cannot give absolute primacy to DPSP over Fundamental Rights.

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Last reviewed: 3 July 2026