RightsGuaranteedby the Constitutionof India
The Constitution of Indiaprovides basic rightsand freedoms to its [Link]
Right toEquality
Our Constitution declares that every citizenirrespectiveof caste,creed,sect,religion or
gender is equalbefore the laws of the country.
No person is above the lawwhether it is apoliticalleader,ordinary citizenor police
[Link] is knownasthe rule oflaw.
Any citizencan use publicplaces such asparks,public hospitals,bathing ghats, roads,
wellsand tanks.
Allcitizenshaveequality of opportunity for getting appointed inany governmental
institutionor organisation.
Untouchabilityhasbeenabolished so thatpeople belonging to every caste getsocially
equal treatment.
Right toFreedom
Freedom ofspeechand expression:Every citizen hasthe right to criticisethe policiesof the
Government or of any institution. The media of the country are also free to opine their
views on any matter. However, one cannot use this freedom to instigate violence
againstother communitiesor theGovernment.
To assemble peacefully: People can assemble or hold rallies to protest against any issues
without any [Link],these protests should bepeaceful
To move freely from onepartofthecountry to the other part
Freedom to reside inany part of the country
Freedom to form associationsand unions
Freedom to practice any profession and to carry outany trading and business activities
A person arrested and detained by the police should be produced before the nearest
magistrate within 24 hours of arrest. An arrested person has the right to consult a
lawyer or hirealawyer for his/her defense.
Right against Exploitation
Our Constitution prohibitsany trafficking inhuman beings.
No child belowthe age of14 can be employed infactories,mines and other hazardous
works.
Begar or forced labour isprohibited by theConstitution.
Right toFreedom ofReligion
All citizens of the country are free to profess,practice and propagatetheir religion.
Indiaisasecular [Link] neither encourages nor discourages the practiceof any religion.
However, the right to freedom of religion does not apply in those cases where
liberties of other citizens are compromised. For example, the sacrifice of human
beings and the brutal treatment meted out to widows are illegal.
Cultural andEducationalRights
A minority community has the rightto preserve itsculture, languageand script.
Admissionto any governmentaleducational institutionscannotbe denied to any
citizenon thebasisoflanguage or religion.
Every minority community hastheright to establish and maintain institutionsoftheir
choice.
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) is an independent organisation. It
enquires into cases where the rights to liberty and basic freedoms are denied to
citizens. It however cannot decide cases and punish the guilty. It just highlights the
issues and cases. Any person or group of persons can file cases in the court if their
freedoms and rights are [Link] the violation of rights is of a larger social or public
interest,apublicinterestlitigation (PIL) canbe filed in thecourt.
Scope ofFundamentalRights
Becausefundamentalrights are thesource of allrightsand our Constitution,the scopeof
theserightshas expanded over years.
Of late, the right to education has been added to the Constitution of India. It is the
responsibility of the Government to provide free and compulsory education to children
up to the age of 14 years.
Another right, the Right to Information to the Citizens has also been added under the Right
to Freedom ofThoughtand Expression.
Rights such as the Right to Property and the Right to Vote are important constitutional
rights.
Expansion of allfundamental rights takes the form of human rights.
Some New Rights Guaranteedby the Constitutionof South AfricatoitsCitizensare
Right to Privacy
Right to safe and clean environment
Right to have access to housing
Right to have access to healthcare facilities