Legal vs Ethical Obligations — Ethical Standards

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
42nd Amendment	1976	Added the word 'integrity' to the Preamble and included fundamental duties in Article 51A, creating explicit constitutional recognition of ethical obligations alongside legal duties for citizens and by extension, civil servants.	Established constitutional foundation for ethical obligations in governance, providing textual basis for courts to require ethical conduct beyond mere legal compliance in administrative actions.
44th Amendment	1978	Restored the balance between individual rights and state power, emphasizing that administrative actions must be both legally valid and ethically justified, particularly in matters affecting fundamental rights.	Reinforced the principle that legal authority must be exercised ethically, creating stronger constitutional basis for challenging administrative actions that are legally compliant but ethically questionable.