CONCEPT OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ITS CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK IN INDIA: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

A basic principle of the Indian Constitution is Social Justice. Social justice, founded on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity, seeks to ensure equitable treatment for all individuals irrespective of caste, religion, gender, or socioeconomic background. The Indian Constitution encompasses a comprehensive framework that comprises the Preamble, Fundamental Rights (Articles 14-32), and the Directive Principles of State Policy. (Articles 36-51). This paper critically analyzes the concept and definition of social justice in India, its philosophical roots since the classical philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Rawls, and how the IC views a just social order. The paper also touches on the provisions of the constitution as they apply to empowering vulnerable groups, the unending struggles in the pursuit of social justice, and how the 42 nd Amendment Act of the Constitution was a transformative act. The paper ends by concluding that although there is a considerable constitutional architecture on the way to achieving social justice, effective implementation, awareness, and institutional reform are critical in closing the gap between social justice constitutional promise and ground reality.