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Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, clarified that socialism in India means a welfare state providing equality of opportunity for all, not a forced or dictatorial economic system.
The Supreme Court was hearing petitions challenging the 1976 amendment that added 'socialist' and 'secular' to the Preamble, with some petitioners arguing that socialism is being wrongly imposed as the only economic theory.
Socialism as Part of the Constitution
CJI emphasized that socialism in India does not prevent the private sector from thriving and coexists with individualism, allowing private enterprises to operate freely.
He reaffirmed that socialism and secularism are part of the Constitution’s 'Basic Structure' and cannot be altered.
Petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay argued that the Preamble cannot be changed, but the Chief Justice disagreed, stating the changes made in 1976 were legitimate.
CPI leader Binoy Viswam argued that the petitions were politically motivated, aiming to remove 'socialist, secular' from the Preamble for religious vote-banking, which the court had already banned.
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