
The Criterion: An International Journal in English
Comparative Literature
Ramrajya and Rawls’s Justice as Fairness: A Comparative Study of Ideal Governance, Moral Community, and Utopian Aspirations
Abstract
The research article aims to examine John Rawls’s concept of justice through his framework of justice as fairness and which he developed through his interdisciplinary partnership with the Indian ethical-political concept of Ramrajya and which he expressed through the Ramayana tradition and Ramcharitmanas. Rawls develops his justice system through three fundamental elements which include the Original Position and the Veil of Ignorance and the principles which identify basic liberties as primary requirements and which safeguard the needs of the least privileged. This study examines contractual fairness through major critiques of Rawls which includes libertarian and communitarian and egalitarian and feminist and cosmopolitan perspectives to reveal its potential to address structural social inequalities and moral social divisions and the development of ethical citizenship. The Ramrajya concept functions as a utopian standard which requires people to uphold justice and complete their responsibilities while leading through compassion and democratic methods and environmental protection. The paper argues that, although Rawls remains indispensable for designing fair institutions in plural societies, Ramrajya provides a more holistic vision of justice by addressing the deeper moral ecology required to sustain humane and welfare-oriented governance.
Keywords
Ramrajya, Rawls, justice as fairness, dharma, utopia, good governance, welfare state, Ramcharitmanas, constitutional ethics, political philosophy
How to Cite
Vineet Dubey. “Ramrajya and Rawls’s Justice as Fairness: A Comparative Study of Ideal Governance, Moral Community, and Utopian Aspirations.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 573-586. ISSN: 0976-8165.
