Article 51A(h) is a provision within the Constitution of India, specifically one of the Fundamental Duties enumerated in Article 51A, which constitutes the entirety of Part IVA. This clause mandates that it shall be the duty of every citizen "to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform". The concept of Fundamental Duties was not present in the original Constitution of 1950. It was inserted by the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976, during the National Emergency (1975–77). The amendment was based on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee, which sought to balance the citizens' Fundamental Rights (Part III) with corresponding civic obligations.
The mechanism of Article 51A is declaratory and non-justiciable, meaning the duties cannot be directly enforced by courts. However, they are not mere exhortations; courts use them as an aid to constitutional interpretation. For instance, the Supreme Court in AIIMS Students' Union v. AIIMS (2002) held that Fundamental Duties must inform the interpretation of statutes. The duty in clause (h) connects to the broader goal of promoting critical thinking and evidence-based decision-making for societal improvement. Article 51A originally contained ten clauses, (a) through (j), and clause (h) has remained unchanged since 1976. The only change to the article was the addition of the eleventh clause, (k), by the Constitution (Eighty-sixth Amendment) Act, 2002, which relates to providing education for children.