The Preamble is the introduction that declares the source of authority ("We, the People of India"), the nature of the State, the objectives, and the date of adoption, and it is treated as the key to the makers' minds.
The Preamble declares India to be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic, and resolves to secure to all its citizens:
- Justice: social, economic and political.
- Liberty: of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship.
- Equality: of status and of opportunity.
- Fraternity: assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.
It is based on the Objectives Resolution moved by Nehru and adopted in 1947.
- Source of authority: the people of India.
- Nature of the State: sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic and republican.
- Objectives: justice, liberty, equality and fraternity.
- Date of adoption: 26 November 1949.
- Sovereign: India is neither a dependency nor a dominion; it is internally supreme and externally free, while remaining a member of the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
- Socialist: democratic socialism (a mixed economy where both public and private sectors coexist), not the communist variety; added in 1976.
- Secular: the State has no official religion and treats all faiths equally; the term was made explicit in 1976 (the principle was always implicit in Articles 25 to 28).
- Democratic: representative parliamentary democracy resting on universal adult franchise, periodic elections and the rule of law.
- Republic: the head of State (the President) is elected, not hereditary, and all public offices are open to citizens.
This amendment added three words to the Preamble: "Socialist", "Secular", and "Integrity" (in the phrase "unity and integrity of the Nation"). The Preamble has been amended only once, by the 42nd Amendment.
- Berubari Union case (1960): the Supreme Court held that the Preamble is not a part of the Constitution and therefore not a source of substantive power.
- Kesavananda Bharati case (1973): the Court reversed this view, holding that the Preamble is a part of the Constitution, and that it can be amended under Article 368 but its basic features cannot be destroyed. In LIC of India (1995) the Court again affirmed that the Preamble is an integral part.
- The Preamble is neither a source of power nor a limitation on power, and it is non-justiciable (not enforceable in a court).
CAPF angle: the two facts examiners chase are the three words added by the 42nd Amendment (Socialist, Secular, Integrity) and the shift from Berubari (1960, not part) to Kesavananda (1973, part). Note the human-rights resonance: the Preamble's "dignity of the individual" is the textual root that Article 21 jurisprudence builds on, which is why preventive-detention and custodial-rights cases often quote it.