According to the Preamble of its Constitution, India is a:

The Preamble of the Indian Constitution, in its current form, describes the nature of the Indian State as a 'SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC' [2]. Originally, the Preamble described India as a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic'. However, the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976 introduced significant changes by adding the terms 'Socialist' and 'Secular' to this description, along with 'Integrity' in the latter part of the text [3]. This amendment aimed to explicitly state the socialist and secular character of the Indian polity, which were already implicit in the Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights. The sequence of these five words is specific and legally significant, defining India as a supreme power (Sovereign), committed to social and economic justice (Socialist), maintaining equal distance from all religions (Secular), where the government is elected by the people (Democratic), and the head of state is an elected official (Republic).

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 5: Preamble of the Constitution > TEXT OF THE PREAMBLE > p. 42
2. [2] Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 3: THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE CONSTITUTION > EVERY Constitution has a philosophy of its own. > p. 22
3. [3] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 10: The Constitution of India — An Introduction > EQUALITY > p. 225