[BOOK-2] CHAPTER- 5
RIGHTS
Q1-What do you mean by rights?
→ Rights are conditions of social life to be given by society and recognized by the state to
promote welfare of the people.
→ A right is essentially an entitlement or a justified claim. It denotes what we are entitled
to as citizens, as individuals and as human beings.
→ In fact, one of the grounds on which rights have been claimed is that they represent
conditions that we collectively see as a source of self-respect and dignity.
→ Another ground on which rights have been claimed is that they are necessary for our
well-being. They help individuals to develop their talents and skills.
Q2- Where do Rights come from?
→ In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, political theorists argued that rights are
given to us by nature or God. This meant that rights were not given by a ruler or a
society, rather we are born with them.
→ In recent years, the term human rights are being used more than the term natural rights
because the idea of there being a natural law.
→ Rights are seen as guarantees that human beings themselves arrive at to lead a good
life.
→ The notion of universal human rights has been used by oppressed people all over the
world to challenge laws which deny them equal opportunities and rights.
→ The list of human rights which people have claimed has expanded over the years as
societies face new threats and challenges.
→ For example- People are very aware of the need to protect the natural environment and
this has generated demands for rights to clean air, water, and sustainable development.
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Q3-What are rights and why are they important? What is the basis on which claims to rights
can be made?
→ Rights are primarily those state-recognized claims that every individual regards to be
necessary for leading a life of respect and dignity. These are essentially a justified claim
or an entitlement.
→ They are important as they help individuals to develop their capacity to reason, develop
their skills and enable them to make informed choices in life.
The basis on which claims to rights can be made are: -
The representation of conditions that individuals collectively see as a source of self-respect and
dignity. The necessity for every individual’s well-being.
Q4- On what grounds are some rights considered to be universal in nature? Identify three
rights which you consider universal. Give reasons.
Some rights are universal in nature on the ground to be equally important for all human beings
who live in a society.
The following three rights can be identified as universal:
→ The right to livelihood- Economic independence is the most important dignity in one’s
life and it is necessary for leading a life of respect and dignity across the world.
→ Right to freedom of expression- It provides an opportunity to be creative and original in
any field of one’s choice and government also comes to know of its failures and success.
→ Right to education- It develops capacity to improve useful skills and to enable citizens to
make choices in life, hence it can be designated as a universal right.
Q5-Differentiate between political, economic, and cultural rights. Give examples of each kind
of right.
Political rights
→ Those rights that ensure equality before law.
→ Right to participate in the political process.
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→ Right to vote and contest election, the right to form political parties.
→ Collectively, civil liberties and political rights form the basis of a democratic system of
government.
Economic rights
→ Those rights that ensure the entitlement of basic needs of food, shelter etc.
→ They help in fulfilling the political rights.
→ Right to minimum wage is an economic right.
Cultural rights
→ They are given to citizens to preserve their culture, its essence, and its dignity.
→ The right to have primary education in one’s mother tongue, the right to establish
institutions for teaching one’s language and culture are today recognized as being
necessary for a leading a good life.
Q6- Rights place some limits on the authority of the state. Explain with examples
→ Rights place some limits on the authority of the state as they make the state responsible
for its actions.
→ Rights place an obligation [Duty] upon the state to act in a certain way.
For example, the state must ensure that its policies should provide basic needs to all its
individuals.
→ Rights suggest what the state must refrain [avoid] from doing.
→ The state cannot make laws that violate the fundamental rights of the citizens and go
against the constitution.
→ Freedom of expression is a basic right of individual therefore the state cannot stop
anyone from expressing himself/herself.
→ The state cannot arrest any individual unnecessarily as that would mean violating
her/his right of liberty.
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Q7- Discuss briefly some of the new rights claims which are being put forward in our country
today for example the rights of tribal people to protect their habitat and way of life, or the
rights of children against bonded labor.
1] Rights of tribal people:
→ The tribal people had been living in forest areas since ancient times which are
associated with their culture, way of life and livelihood.
→ These people urge to state that no state in the name of development should take away
what had been enjoyed by them since beginning of settled life.
→ They consider all these demands to be justified and use the term human rights for all
tribal people across the country.
2] Right of children against bonded labor:
→ The children must be free from bonded labor and child labor.
→ The children must be made free from wrong practices of child labor.
→ The children must have equal opportunities to be free and realize their full potential.
3] Right to sustainable development:
→ The human rights which people claim has been expanded over the years due to new
threats and challenges in the society.
→ A need has been arisen to protect the natural environment. Hence the demand has
been generated for rights to clean air, water, sustainable development and alike.
Q8-What is right to life?
It is a right to live life without fear, injury, and any external danger as well as the right not to
possess the right to take away one’s own life (suicide has been declared a crime)
Q9-What are the differences between rights and claims?
→ Rights are claims backed by disinterested desire whereas claims are demands backed by
personal coercive [constrain] of the individual.
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→ It involves the goodness of one and all while claims focus on personal welfare only.
→ It receives recognition [Acceptance] but claims depend on its nature to be accepted or
not.
Q9-Why the rights are necessary for the development of individuals?
→ Rights create supportive conditions for the development of one is potential as they
create necessary conditions to fulfill this requirement.
→ The fundamental rights fulfill the requirements of expression and speech so that ideas
could be emerged through intelligence.
→ Fundamental rights grant an opportunity to every individual to possess any profession
as per one’s own choice.
Q10- Can it be stated that rights are absolute? Give reasons.
Though rights are enjoyed by all individuals equally and state also cannot interfere in the
matter but even though these are not absolute because:
→ In a democratic countries like USA and India rights of people are absolute and can never
be suspended.
→ The Constitution of India provides provisions that even the fundamental right to
freedom can also be suspended if emergency is declared under Article 352 War or
armed rebellion inside the territory of country.
→ During the periods of emergency, citizens do not enjoy any protection against the state.
Q11- Discuss Kant on Human Dignity.
→ A person may be uneducated, poor but he remains a human being and deserves to be
given some minimum dignity.
→ For Kant, to treat people with dignity was to treat them morally.
→ It is called the moral conception of rights.
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A] We should be treating ourselves.
B] We should make sure that we do not treat the other person as means to our needs.
We should respect people not because they are useful to us but because they are human
beings.
Q12- What safeguards are available for rights?
→ Rights to constitutional remedies is provided in fundamental rights against damage of
people in the Constitution of India.
→ Rule of law has been established, i.e. equality before law and equal protection by law
through constitution.
→ Media (Press) is free and honest to safeguard against despotic [Dictatorial] government.
→ People enjoy the safeguard to fight against in genuine [Rightful] arrangements.
→ Distribution of power is also a safeguard against violation of rights.
Q13- What are the Rights and Responsibilities?
Rights not only place obligations [duty] upon the state to act in a certain way but they also
place obligations upon each of us.
→ Firstly, they force us to think not just of our own personal needs and interests but to
protect some things as being good for all of us.
→ Secondly, they require that an individual respect the rights of others. If an individual say
that I must be given the right to express my views the he must also grant the same right
to others.
→ Thirdly, we must balance our rights when they come into conflict.
For example, my right to freedom of expression allows me to take pictures; however, if I
take pictures of a person bathing in his house without his consent and post them on the
internet, that would be a violation of his right to privacy.
→ Fourthly, citizens must be vigilant [Observant] about limitations which may be placed on
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their rights. A currently debated topic concerns the increased restrictions which many
governments are imposing on the civil liberties of citizens on the grounds of national
security.
Even though rights can never be absolute, we need to be vigilant [observant] in protecting our
rights and those of others for they form the basis of a democratic society.
Q14-Write note on ‘Human Rights’.
→ Human rights are those rights which all human beings are entitled by virtue of being
human.
→ It is based on the principle of respect for the individual.
→ The fundamental assumption behind the concept of human rights is that every person is
a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity.
→ Human rights are both universal and fundamental; these are universal in the sense that
they belong to all human beings irrespective of race, nationality, community, religion,
gender, etc.; these are also fundamental because once given, these cannot be taken
back.
→ Although the presence of human rights can be traced to the ancient Indian philosophy
and culture, the concept formally originated at the international level in 1948 with the
UN Declaration of Human Rights listing 30 rights for all people across the globe.
PASSAGE BASED QUESTIONS
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, political theorists argued that rights are given to
us by nature or God. The rights of men were derived from natural law. This meant that rights
were not conferred by a ruler or a society, rather we are born with them. As such these rights
are inalienable and no one can take these away from us. They identified three natural rights of
man: the right to life, liberty, and property. All other rights were said to be derived from these
basic rights. The idea that we are born with certain rights, is a very powerful notion because it
implies that no state or organization should take away what has been given by the law of
nature. This conception of natural rights has been used widely to oppose the exercise of
arbitrary power by states and governments and to safeguard individual freedom.
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Q1. What do you mean by natural rights?
Natural rights refer to be born with certain rights where no state or organization can take away
these rights.
Q2. Mention some natural rights.
Right to life, liberty, and property.
Q3. How has the conception of natural rights been used?
The conception of natural rights has been used widely to oppose the exercise of arbitrary
power by states and governments and to safeguard individual freedom.
2] Rights are primarily those claims that I along with others regard to be necessary for leading a
life of respect and dignity. In fact, one of the grounds on which rights have been claimed is that
they represent conditions that we collectively see as a source of self-respect and dignity. For
example, the right to livelihood may be considered necessary for leading a life of dignity. Being
gainfully employed gives a person economic independence and thus is central for his/her
dignity. Having our basic needs met gives us freedom to pursue our talents and interests. Or,
take the right to express ourselves freely. This right gives us the opportunity to be creative and
original, whether it be in writing, or dance, or music, or any other creative activity. But freedom
of expression is also important for democratic government since it allows for the free
expression of beliefs and opinions. Rights such as the right to a livelihood, or freedom of
expression, would be important for all human beings who live in society and they are described
as universal in nature.
Q1. What are rights?
Rights are those claims which can be regarded to be necessary for leading a life of respect and
dignity.
Q2. Why is the freedom of expression important?
Because it allows for the free expression of beliefs and opinion.
Q3. How can we express ourselves?
We can express ourselves by writing, speaking, dance, music, or any other activity.
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PICTURE BASED QUESTIONS
Q1- What right is the above picture claiming?
Right to information
Q2- What does a person feel hurt due to delay in any work in the society? Who gives him
relief?
Insecure and helpless judiciary
Q3- What is the right to information?
To obtain information and data on any subject in case of doubts.
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