Fundamental Rights

Jay Shree Ram!

India is a country of religions. There exist multifarious religious groups in the country but, in spite of this, the Constitution stands for a secular state of India. The essential basis of the Indian Constitution is that all citizens are equal, and that the religion of a citizen is entirely irrelevant in the matter of his fundamental rights. The Constitution answers equal freedom for all religions and provide that the religion of the citizen has nothing to do in socio-economic matters.

The Indian Constitution has a chapter on Fundamental Rights and thus guarantees to the people certain basic rights and freedoms, such as, inter alia, equal protection of laws, freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship and religion, Freedom of assembly and association, freedom to move freely and to reside and settle anywhere in India, freedom to follow any occupation, trade or business, freedom of person, freedom against double jeopardy and against export facto laws. Untouchables, the age-old scourge afflicting the Hindu society, have been formally abolished. The people can claim their Fundamental Rights against the state subject to some restrictions, which the state can impose in the interests of social control. These restrictions on Fundamental Rights are expressly mentioned in the Constitution itself and, therefore, these rights can be qualified or a bridged only to the extent laid down. These rights, in substance, constitute inhibitions on the legislative and executive organs of the state. No law or executive action infringing a Fundamental Right can be regarded as valid. In this way, the Constitution demarcates an area of individual freedom and liberty wherein government cannot interfere. The judiciary ensures an effective and speedy enforcement of these rights. Since the inauguration of the Constitution, many significant legal battles have been fought in the area of Fundamental Rights and, thus, a mass of interesting case law has come into being in this area.

The Indian society lacks homogeneity, as there exist differences of religion, language, culture, etc. There are sections of people who are comparatively weaker than others-economically, socially and culturally and their lot can be ameliorated only when the state makes a special effort to that end. Mutual suspicion and distrust exist between various religious and linguistic groups. To promote a sense of security among the minorities, to ameliorate the conditions of the depressed and backward classes, to make them useful members of society, to weld the diverse elements into one national and political stream, the Constitution contains a liberal scheme of safeguards to minorities, backward classes and scheduled castes. Provisions have thus been made, inter alia, to reserve seats in the State Legislatures and Lok Sabha and to make reservations services, for some of these groups, to promote the welfare of the depressed and backward classes and to protect the languages and culture of the minorities.

*****************************

Read More:

References: -

Training package on administrative law

*****************************