- The Preamble is described as the philosophy of the Indian Constitution, and its four ideals - justice, liberty, equality and fraternity - together define the kind of society India set out to build. Held to be part of the basic structure since Kesavananda Bharati (1973), these ideals have shaped Indian society in the following ways.
1. Justice (social, economic, political)
(a) Social justice has pushed India towards a society with less discrimination on grounds of caste, religion or sex, through measures like reservation for weaker sections and laws against untouchability. (Articles 15(4), 16(4), 17)
(b) Economic justice aims at fairer distribution of resources and wealth rather than their concentration in a few hands, seen in land reforms and progressive taxation. (Article 39(b)(c))
(c) Political justice gives every citizen an equal voice in governance through universal adult franchise, regardless of income, education or social status. (Article 326)
2. Liberty (of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship)
(a) Freedom of thought and expression has kept Indian society open and argumentative, allowing citizens to debate, criticise the government, and hold differing opinions without fear. (Article 19(1)(a))
(b) Freedom of belief, faith and worship has let India remain a home to multiple religions living side by side, each free to practise and propagate its faith. (Articles 25-28)
(c) This overall climate of liberty is a key reason India has sustained itself as a functioning democracy rather than sliding into authoritarian control. (Article 21)
3. Equality (of status and opportunity)
(a) Equality of status has gradually broken down old social hierarchies by treating every citizen as equal before the law, regardless of birth, caste or gender. (Article 14)
(b) Equality of opportunity has opened up access to education, government jobs and public life for groups that were historically excluded from them. (Articles 15, 16)
(c) Together, these have slowly narrowed the gap between different sections of society, though full social equality is still a work in progress. (Article 38)
4. Fraternity (dignity of the individual and unity and integrity of the nation)
(a) Dignity of the individual insists that every citizen, irrespective of background, be treated with respect, which discourages practices that demean any section of society. (Article 21)
(b) Unity and integrity of the nation binds together a country that is deeply diverse in language, religion and region into one shared national identity. (Article 51A(c))
(c) This sense of fraternity is what allows India to function as one nation despite its enormous social and cultural diversity. (Article 51A(e))
♦ Thus, these four ideals are not mere aspirations listed in the Preamble but the guiding vision behind the Constitution's laws and policies. Together, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity continue to push Indian society towards being fairer, freer, more equal and more united, even as the task of fully realising them on the ground remains an ongoing process.