Connotations of the directive contained in Article 44 of the Constitution

Read Article 44 slowly and it looks simple: eighteen words, no sub-clauses, no exceptions. Yet students, judges and politicians have read very different things into it. Does 'uniform' mean identical? Does 'civil code' mean a single statute? Is 'endeavour' a command or a hope? This topic takes the article word by word, because in an exam the marks are in the meaning you can defend.

In two minutes

Article 44 says that the State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India; it is a Directive Principle in Part IV, not enforceable by any court (Art 37), it imposes a duty of effort on the State rather than a deadline or a model, and its key terms 'uniform', 'civil code' and 'citizens' are open to more than one reading.

The rest of this chapter

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