Fundamental Rights
The justiciable rights in Part III of the Constitution (Articles 12–35) that protect individuals against state action.
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On UPSC.wiki
Study materialMahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Movement (1919–1947) — Part 4: 4. The Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-1934)Part 4: Civil Disobedience Movement (1930-34) — Salt March 12 Mar 1930 (385 km, Dandi 6 Apr), 92,214 jail-goers; Gandhi-Irwin Pact Mar 1931; women's mass participation; British cloth imports halved. Study materialEnlightenmentThe Enlightenment was an intellectual movement in 17th and 18th century Europe that emphasized reason, individual rights, and skepticism of traditional authority, significantly influencing modern democracy and human rights. Study materialRyotwari and Mahalwari Systems: Land Revenue Settlements in Colonial IndiaThe Ryotwari and Mahalwari systems were two colonial land revenue settlements in India that directly impacted peasant livelihoods and contributed to agrarian distress. Study materialThe Constituent Assembly: Drafting the Indian Constitution, B.R. Ambedkar and Key DebatesThe Constituent Assembly of India, established in 1946, was responsible for drafting the Indian Constitution, with Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as its principal architect, and it engaged in significant debates on rights, representation, and the structure of governance. Study materialGovernment of India Acts 1909, 1919, and 1935: Constitutional EvolutionGovernment of India Acts of 1909, 1919, and 1935 represent the three major milestones of British constitutional concessions to Indian demands for self-governance — each act expanded legislative repres... Study materialCivil Disobedience Movement and Salt Satyagraha 1930Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930 was the most dramatic and internationally visible of Gandhi's mass campaigns, launched with the 241-mile Dandi March on March 12, 1930 — when Gandhi and 78 chosen v... Study materialConstituent Assembly of IndiaThe Constituent Assembly of India, convened in 1946, was responsible for drafting the Constitution, marking a significant moment of Indian self-determination and democratic governance. Study materialSurya Sen (Masterda)Surya Sen, known as Masterda, was a prominent Bengali revolutionary who led the Chittagong Armoury Raid in 1930, symbolizing armed resistance against British colonial rule in India. Study materialSocial Reform Movements: Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj and 19th Century Indian RenaissanceThe Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj were pivotal social reform movements in 19th-century India that sought to address social issues like caste discrimination and women's rights, drawing on Enlightenment ideals and Vedic traditions. Study materialSwadeshi Movement and Bengal Partition 1905: Economic Nationalism and the Rise of ExtremismThe Swadeshi Movement, ignited by the 1905 partition of Bengal, marked a pivotal shift in India's freedom struggle, fostering economic nationalism and the rise of extremist factions within the Indian National Congress. Study materialRevolt of 1857: The Sepoy Mutiny, Causes, Key Leaders and Historical SignificanceThe Revolt of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny, was India's largest armed uprising against British colonial rule, marked by widespread participation from various sections of society and significant military and political consequences. Current affairsSupreme Court: 24-Hour Constitutional Clock to Produce Arrested Person Begins at Actual Detention, Not Formal ArrestIn *Sujit Das v. Union of India*, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S Chandurkar ruled that the 24-hour deadline under Article 22(2) of the Constitution for producing an arrested person before a magistrate begins from the moment of actual detention — not from when a formal arrest is recorded — closing a procedural loophole that had enabled custodial overreach. Current affairsNational Sentencing Policy for India: Supreme Court Direction, Malimath Committee and UPSC AnalysisIndia has no national sentencing guidelines, leaving criminal sentencing "judge-centric" — the same offence can draw radically different sentences from different judges. In Sunita Devi v. State of Bihar (May 2024), the Supreme Court directed the Department of Justice to examine a national sentencing policy, stating "sentencing shall not be a mere lottery." The Malimath Committee (2003) first proposed a statutory Sentencing Commission. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS, 2023) reformed criminal law but contains no sentencing framework, keeping the structural gap live in 2026 jurisprudence. Current affairsNHRC India Faces GANHRI Accreditation Review: Downgrade from 'A' to 'B' StatusThe Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) has postponed its final accreditation review of India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to November 2026. NHRC faces a potential historic downgrade from 'A' (fully compliant) to 'B' (partially compliant) status under the Paris Principles, following concerns about independence, transparency in appointments, and its failure to adequately address serious human rights violations. Current affairsPreventive Detention and Article 22 Safeguards: Supreme Court Reinforces Constitutional Protections in 2026The Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings in 2026 on Article 22 safeguards. September 2026: arrest without written grounds is void ab initio — the accused is entitled to release, not bail. August 2026: preventive detention is fundamentally illegal if the detaining authority does not explicitly inform the detenu of their right to represent before it. Both rulings tighten constitutional accountability under Articles 22(1) and 22(5). Current affairsNobel Peace Prize 2026: Navi Pillay Awarded for Promoting Peace and International LawThe Norwegian Nobel Committee on 9 October 2026 awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay — former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda President, and ICC judge — "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," recognising her pivotal role in prosecuting war crimes and genocide. Current affairsIndia's First Free-Space Quantum Key Distribution Link: QNu Labs, BISAG-N and IIT Gandhinagar Demonstrate 5.56 km QKDQNu Labs, in collaboration with BISAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics) and IIT Gandhinagar, has demonstrated India's first free-space Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) link over 5.56 km, achieving a quantum bit error rate (QBER) below 5% and a secure key rate of 230–260 bits per second — a foundational step toward India's quantum-secure communication network. Current affairsGujarat Uniform Civil Code 2026: Presidential Assent and India's Journey Towards a Common Civil LawPresident Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, 2026 on September 17, 2026, making Gujarat the second Indian state after Uttarakhand to enact a UCC. The Act governs marriage, divorce, succession and live-in relationships for all residents irrespective of religion, and will come into force on a date to be notified separately by the state government. Current affairsBadri Cattle Conservation: First OPU-IVF Calf Born at GBPUAT Pantnagar — Indigenous Breed MilestoneA healthy female calf of the indigenous Badri cattle breed was born on September 11, 2026 at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, through OPU-IVF (Ovum Pick-Up In Vitro Fertilisation) — a first for this rare Himalayan breed. The milestone, achieved jointly by GBPUAT and ICAR-NDRI Karnal, marks a significant advance in conservation biotechnology for India's indigenous mountain cattle. Current affairsPMAY-U 2.0: Original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban Concludes September 2026, Successor Targets 1 Crore More FamiliesAs the original Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) concludes in September 2026 after completing approximately 1 crore houses in over 11 years, its successor — PMAY-U 2.0, approved by the Union Cabinet on August 9, 2024 — is now in full implementation. The new phase targets 1 crore additional urban families with a total investment of ₹10 lakh crore over five years, prioritising women's homeownership and affordable rental housing. Current affairsShahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) Designated 46th Terrorist Organisation Under UAPA 2026The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated the Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN) as a terrorist organisation — the 46th such designation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). The SBN is a Pakistan-based network accused of financing, recruiting, and coordinating terrorist activities against India, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. Current affairsEPFO Wage Ceiling Hiked from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000: 51 Lakh New Workers Under Social SecurityThe Union Cabinet on September 16, 2026 approved raising the mandatory EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) wage ceiling from ₹15,000 to ₹25,000 per month — the first revision in 12 years since 2014. This brings approximately 51 lakh additional workers into the formal social security net, covering provident fund savings, EPS pension, and EDLI life insurance. Current affairs18th BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi Declaration — India's Chairmanship, UN Reform, and Global South AgendaIndia hosted the 18th BRICS Summit at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on September 12–13, 2026, under its 2026 BRICS Chairmanship. The 11-member bloc adopted the New Delhi Declaration — a 140-point document covering United Nations reform, multilateral trade, artificial intelligence governance, climate finance, and the Palestinian conflict.
In previous-year questions
- The Supreme Court's direction on cancer notification (August 2026) is rooted in the right to health under Article 21. Which landmark Supreme Court judgment first explicitly held that denial of emergency medical treatment violates Article 21's right to life?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Zonal Councils in India were established under which of the following? (1) Article 263 of the Constitution of India (2) Part III of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (3) North-Eastern Council Act, 1971 (4) Inter-State Council Order, 1990UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Constitutional Article, inserted by the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002, guarantees the Right to Free and Compulsory Education for children between the ages of 6 and 14 years?UPSC · Current Affairs
- In the ongoing suo motu case on digital arrest scams, the Supreme Court's power to issue directions to executive bodies like the RBI and state governments — even beyond the scope of a specific statutory challenge — derives primarily from which constitutional provision?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The Directive Principle under Article 43 of the Indian Constitution, which mandates the State to secure a living wage for workers, is the constitutional basis for social security legislation like the EPFO. In which Part of the Constitution are Directive Principles of State Policy contained, and what is their key legal characteristic?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Article 17 of the Indian Constitution, which abolishes untouchability, has a unique feature compared to most Fundamental Rights. Which of the following correctly describes this uniqueness?UPSC · Current Affairs
- The writ of habeas corpus is the primary remedy against unlawful detention in India. Which of the following statements about habeas corpus petitions is correct?UPSC · Current Affairs
- Which Article of the Constitution of India specifically mandates that every person arrested must be produced before the nearest magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, excluding travel time?UPSC · Current Affairs