Reading the Preamble to the Constitution of India from an Environmental Perspective

Abstract

The Preamble to the Constitution of India declares the constitution to be a people’s document and it also sets basic objectives sought through the constitution. Even the apex court of India has stated that preamble is a key to open the minds of the framers of the constitution1. In such a scenario, the preamble to the Constitution of India holds an important place as the guide to the legislators. But the preamble to the Indian Constitution has no mention of ‘Environment’ which needs to be interpreted in the light of other philosophical aspects including Justice (social, economic and political), Liberty (of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship), Equality (of Status and opportunity); and Fraternity (assuring the dignity of individual and the unity and integrity of nation). The environment is one of the basic elements which contributes to the growth of human being2 and in such conditions the requirement of a clean and unpolluted environment is necessary for an individual’s growth, therefore, the equal access to clean environment becomes a right on part of individuals and a duty\ on state to provide every individual with a clean environment. This paper will attempt to elaborate the different perspectives of the Environment under the head Justice; and a further investigation regarding the religious aspects of environment and their contribution to the environmental pollution will also be done.