Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
126
Economic Jus ice in he Indian Cons i u ion: A 75 h Yea Re ospec i e
D . Wahida Shaikh1, Sou a Dey2
1Head-Depa men o Poli ical Science, Abeda Inamda Senio College
Sa i ibai Phule Pune Uni e si y
2Resea ch Schola , Abeda Inamda Senio College
Sa i ibai Phule Pune Uni e si y
Email: d [email protected]
Manusc ip ID:
JRD -2025-170931
ISSN: 2230-9578
Volume 17
Issue 9 (V)
Pp. 126-128
Sep . 2025
Submi ed:15 Aug. 2025
Re ised: 25 Aug. 2025
Accep ed: 10 Sep . 2025
Published: 30 Sep . 2025
Abs ac The Cons i u ion o India was adop ed in he yea o 1950. I is no solely a poli ical documen . I
is a social documen which p omises in i s p eamble o p o ide people wi h social, economic and poli ical
jus ice. Howe e , economic jus ice has always been he undamen al aspi a ion o se he eco d s aigh o
his o ically oo ed inequi ies and p o ide equal access o he esou ces, oppo uni ies and wel a e. India
was in a highly di ided, po e y-s icken, uneduca ed and economically s agnan socie y a he ime o
Independence. I was du ing he ime o Independence, which was led by D . B.R.Ambedka , who ied o
elimina e hese di e ences by embedding p omises in he Cons i u ion which in u n would guide he s a e
o build a mo e equable socie y. F om a cons i u ional pe spec i e, o e he ecen 75 yea s, India has
achie ed conside able ad ancemen s in he a ea o 'cons i u ion, laws and judgmen s' which aims o se le
hese p inciples in p ac ice. Th ough he esou ces, which ac as a mo al compass, and amendmen s o he
cons i u ion like he 42nd and he 73 d, as well as wel a e s a e legisla ion, like he Maha ma Gandhi
Na ional Ru al Employmen Gua an ee Ac (MGNREGA), he economic jus ice has been pu sued deeply,
in a bi coun e balanced way. Since he yea o 1991, he libe a ions in he economic policies has shi ed
he deba e o economic jus ice om inclusi e g ow h and wel a e schemes o edis ibu ion. Despi e
p og ess in po e y alle ia ion, in as uc u e, and economic empowe men , issues like unemploymen ,
ising inequali y, dis ess in ag icul u e, and inequi able educa ional and heal h esou ces Sche le 's
social jus ice emain. The judicia y has shaped he license o li e and digni y by cons i u ionalizing
economic igh s on he case law by anscenden al judicial ac i ism. Looking back in ime, he 75 yea s o
cons i u ional democ acy in India pain s a complex pic u e: economic jus ice has been achie ed o a
deg ee in some aspec s, bu i is a wo k in p og ess. The Cons i u ion bols e s he amewo k o he
coun y, bu he a ainmen o economic jus ice is isiona y and hinges on un elen ing poli ical
commi men and esponsible go e nance, along wi h collec i e social ac ion o ac ualize he
ans o ma i e ision. The ounding a he s o India en isioned i o be o he na ion.
Keywo ds: Economic Jus ice, Indian Cons i u ion, Di ec i e P inciples, Wel a e S a e, Equali y.
In oduc ion
One o he aims o he Cons i u ion o India is o secu e Economic Jus ice o each o
i s ci izens. Membe s o he Cons i uen Assembly, when discussing wha he u u e o India
should look like, wished o a u u e whe e exploi a ion, po e y, and inequali y did no exis .
The Jus ice in he P eamble is s a ed as social, economic, and poli ical, which a e he wo guide
p inciples o he Republic. The emphasis is he poli ical eedom is no su icien , and in
addi ion, social and economic empowe men also needed o be p o ided o he masses. O e he
las se en y- i e yea s, economic jus ice has in o med he way India has in e p e ed i s
Cons i u ion, o mula ed i s public policies, and go e ned i sel .
Quick Response Code:
Websi e:
h ps://j d b.o g/
DOI:
C ea i e Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
This is an open access jou nal, and a icles a e dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha eAlike 4.0 In e na ional Public License, which allows o he s o emix,
weak, and build upon he wo k noncomme cially, as long as app op ia e c edi is gi en and he new
c ea ions ae licensed unde he iden ial e ms.
Add ess o co espondence:
D . Wahida Shaikh, Head-Depa men o Poli ical Science, Abeda Inamda Senio College, Sa i ibai
Phule Pune Uni e si y
How o ci e his a icle:
Wahida Shaikh, Sou a Dey. Po bha e.(2025).Economic Jus ice in he Indian Cons i u ion: A
75 h Yea Re ospec i e. Jou nal o Resea ch & De elopmen , 17(9), 126-128
O iginal A icle
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
127
The De ini ion o Economic Jus ice in India
Dis ibu i e jus ice en ails ea ing e e y indi idual wi h ai ness and equi y in e e y ield and aspec o li e,
i espec i e o cas e, class, o sex. Economic jus ice means income and esou ces.Beyond income, i emb aces equi y in
educa ion, heal hca e, job oppo uni ies, and access o ce ain basic minimum s anda ds o li ing. In India, economic
jus ice was iewed as a emedy o he s a k inequali ies inhe i ed om he colonial ule, he u al abjec po e y,
landlo dism, and he as ounding indus ial unde de elopmen comp ising o ecosys emic unde de elopmen . In India’s
case, i was a backlash o he colonial ule. In he closing add ess o he Cons i u ion Assembly, D . B.R. Ambedka
poin ed ou ha democ acy mus also be economic. I no , he Cons i u ion will be no hing bu a isiona y documen .
The Cons i u ion has many p o isions aimed a ensu ing economic jus ice. The mos impo an o all a e he Di ec i e
P inciples o S a e Policy (Pa IV) ha di ec s he s a e o main ain adequa e li elihoods, equi able esou ce
dis ibu ion, and a oidance o he social concen a ion o weal h and weal h sha ing in he socie y. A icles 38 and 39 a e
pa icula ly impo an as hey assign he S a e he esponsibili y o minimizing inequali ies and ensu ing ha he
owne ship and con ol o esou ces a e o he common good o all. Economic igh s a e also suppo ed by he
undamen al igh s. A icle 14 p o ides o he equali y o all be o e he law, while he A icle 15 ensu es he e shall be
no disc imina ion, hus, secu ing equali y o oppo uni y in all economic ac i i ies. The igh o ea n a li elihood is
implied in A icle 21 and p o ec ed by judicial in e p e a ion. All o hem oge he show he cons i u ional wel a e s a e
and he commi men o dis ibu i e jus ice.
Di ec i e P inciples and he E olu ion o Wel a e Policies
Al hough he Di ec i e P inciples a e non-jus iciable, he ha e in luenced policy making in a p o ound way.
The land e o ms in he 1950s and 1960s we e aimed a p e en ing he concen a ion o weal h. The na ionaliza ion o
banks and indus ies in he 1970s also showed he he s a e’s shi o a socialis o ien a ion. The p eamble’s 42nd
Amendmen o 1976 a ached he wo ds “socialis ” o he s a e’s commi men . Wel a e schemes like he Public
Dis ibu ion Sys em (PDS), u al employmen , mid-day meals and o he heal hca e ini ia i es ha e u he de eloped
ins umen s o economic jus ice. In he 21s cen u y, igh s based wel a e is exempli ied by MGNREGA, he Righ o
Educa ion Ac , and he Na ional Food Secu i y Ac which posi ioned he Di ec i e P inciples o S a e Policy as
jus iciable igh s. These laws ep esen he inc easing cons i u ionaliza ion o economic jus ice in he coun y.
Judicial In e p e a ions and Economic Righ s
The impac o he judicia y in ex ending he on ie s o economic jus ice is phenomenal. The judgmen in
Kesa ananda Bha a i . S a e o Ke ala (1973) cou case emphasized socioeconomic objec i es wo en in o he
Di ec i e P inciples as undamen al o he basic s uc u e o he Cons i u ion. In he case o Olga Tellis . Bombay
Municipal Co po a ion (1985), he Sup eme Cou held he igh o li elihood is pa o he igh o li e, as con ained in
A icle 21 o he Cons i u ion. In he same line o hough s, cou s ha e also expanded he on ie s o economic jus ice
in cases dealing wi h bonded labo , he igh o a clean and heal hy en i onmen , and he igh s o wo ke s. Judicial
in e en ions such as, he case o Public In e es Li iga ions (PILs), ha e simpli ied he cases o cons i u ional iola ion
such as minimum wages, educa ion, and ood. In his manne cons i u ional ideals ha e been made p ac ical h ough
igo ous judicial ac i ism.
Economic Jus ice and he E a o Libe aliza ion
The pa adigm shi b ough by he e o ms o 1991 was he commencemen o he new epoch in he
de elopmen his o y o he coun y. Many a enues o g ow h we e opened by Libe aliza ion, P i i iza ion and
Globaliza ion, howe e , i also spa ked new issues conce ning i s dis ibu i e aspec s o g ow h. Globaliza ion s emmed
he g ow h o he economy, howe e , i also induced he ad ancemen o he gdp and hence g oss inequi y o income,
egional g ow h disc epancies, and employmen unce ain y. In esponse, he s a e adop ed a unique hyb id model o
ma ke d i en policies along wi h wel a e policies like u al employmen schemes and Di ec Bene i T ans e s
(DBTs). The a gumen in his e a ins ead o being abou edis ibu ion, was abou g ow h pole inclusion. Each o he
ma ginalized membe s o he socie y, especially women, Dali s, Adi asis, and he u al poo , we e now he subjec s o
globaliza ion and i was he esponsibili y o he s a e o ensu e ha hey we e bene i ed om i and we e p o ec ed by
a i ma i e ac ion, wel a e policies, and empowe men p og ams.
Pe sis ence o Economic Jus ice Challenges
The issues o economic jus ice a e s ill o be ully- ledged, e en wi h a aining some p og ess. The issues o
unemploymen and o he uns able economy due o he dis esses caused o ag icul u e along wi h he in o mal
economy issues s ill plague socie y as a whole. The excep ional weal h owned by a minu e sec ion o he socie y
jux aposed o he mise y and dep i a ion o a la ge sec ion o he socie y is appalling. The absence o he basic
esou ces like heal h and quali y educa ion, he socie y becomes incapable and dep i ed. The issues ega ding gende -
based iolence a e s ill p e alen as dispa i ies in wages and employmen a e s a ke . The COVID 19 pandemic has
highligh ed he weak social secu i y sys ems, especially o many o he mig an wo ke s. While he e a e p omises om
he cons i u ion, his has only se ed o unde pin he e y basic and ounda ional policies, which in his case conce ning
economic jus ice.
Jou nal o Resea ch and De elopmen
A Mul idisciplina y In e na ional Le el Re e ed and Double Blind Pee Re iewed, Open Access
ISSN : 2230-9578 | Websi e: h ps://j d b.o g Volume-17, Issue-9(V)| Sep embe 2025
128
The Way Fo wa d: Reimagining Economic Jus ice
Se en y- i e yea s a e independence and he adop ion o cons i u ional go e nance, he ques o economic
jus ice equi es a enewed ocus. The s a e has o imp o e wel a e deli e y, equi able access o g owing digi al and
echnological oppo uni ies, and educe egional de elopmen al imbalances. Economic empowe men a he g ass oo s
le el should ake ad an age o decen aliza ion h ough Panchaya i Raj ins i u ions as p oposed in he 73 d
Amendmen . In addi ion, economic jus ice should also conside issues o sus ainabili y and clima e change. Resou ce
access needs o be inclusi e bu should also be aligned wi h he equi emen s o he en i onmen in o de o achie e
in e -gene a ional jus ice. The social and ma ke equi y balance is and should con inue o be, he bigges challenge o
e ec i e leade s and go e nance sys ems.
Conclusion
As seen om a dis ance o e a pe iod o se en y- i e yea s, he jou ney o economic jus ice in India has
changed om being a Cons i u ional p omise, o a p omise in need o con inued social s uggle, wi h he ideals ensh ined
in he Cons i u ion as a legal amewo k. The Cons i u ion's P eamble along wi h he Fundamen al Righ s and he
Di ec i e P inciples o S a e Policy ha e se ed as he p ima y legal s uc u e o all successi e de elopmen s.
Nume ous legisla ions, social policies and a ying judicial app oaches ha e all aimed o ealize hese p inciples. Le els o
po e y, inequali y and social exclusion s ill ampan , howe e , emphasize a Cons i u ion's ision, one ha emains o
be ully a ained. Ra he han a goal, economic jus ice in India is a wo k in p og ess, one ha is going o ake a
combina ion o legal, ins i u ional and social ac i ism o comple e. Ful illing his p omise is going o be i al in he
yea s o come, in main aining he social cohesion o India, along wi h he p omise o he comple e and ai socie y.
Re e ences
1. Aus in, G. (1966). The Indian Cons i u ion: Co ne s one o a Na ion. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
2. Aus in, G. (1999). Wo king a Democ a ic Cons i u ion: The Indian Expe ience. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
3. Basu, D. D. (2015). In oduc ion o he Cons i u ion o India (22nd Ed.). LexisNexis Bu e wo hs Wadhwa
Nagpu .
4. Bha ga a, R. (2008). Poli ical Theo y: An In oduc ion. Pea son Longman.
5. Chandhoke, N. (1999). Beyond Secula ism: The Righ s o Religious Mino i ies. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
6. Cha e jee, P. (1997). S a e and Poli ics in India. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
7. De, R. (2018). A People’s Cons i u ion: The E e yday Li e o Law in he Indian Republic. P ince on
Uni e si y P ess.
8. G an ille, A., & Mano , J. (Eds.). (2009). Poli ics in India: S uc u e, P ocess and Policy. Ox o d Uni e si y
P ess.
9. Guha, R. (2007). India A e Gandhi: The His o y o he Wo ld’s La ges Democ acy. Ha pe Collins.
10. Jayal, N. G. (2013). Ci izenship and I s Discon en s: An Indian His o y. Ha a d Uni e si y P ess.
11. Ko ha i, R. (1989). Poli ics in India. O ien Blackswan.
12. Kuma , R. (2016). Economic Jus ice in India: Cons i u ional Pe spec i es and Policy Reali ies. Sage Publica ions.
13. Noo ani, A. G. (2011). The Cons i u ion o India: A Con ex ual Analysis. Ha Publishing.
14. Pandey, J. N. (2018). Cons i u ional Law o India (55 h Ed.). Cen al Law Agency.
15. Pa hak, R. S. (2002). Judicia y, Law and Jus ice in India. Ox o d Uni e si y P ess.
16. Sa he, S. P. (2002). Judicial Ac i ism in India: T ansg essing Bo de s and En o cing Limi s. Ox o d Uni e si y
P ess.
17. Sha ma, B. K. (2019). In oduc ion o he Cons i u ion o India. P en ice-Hall o India.
18. Si a amak ishnan, K. C. (2011). Re- isioning Indian Ci ies: The U ban Renewal Mission. Sage Publica ions.
19. Thaku , R. (2011). The Go e nmen and Poli ics o India. Rou ledge.
20. T ipa hi, P. (2014). Economic De elopmen and Jus ice in India: Cons i u ional Manda es and Policy
Challenges. Sage Publica ions.
