


{"id":121922,"date":"2026-08-31T17:28:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T11:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=121922"},"modified":"2026-08-31T17:29:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T11:59:09","slug":"exceptions-to-the-fundamental-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/exceptions-to-the-fundamental-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Exceptions to the Fundamental Rights, Constitutional Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Fundamental Rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> guaranteed by the Indian Constitution protect the liberty, equality and dignity of citizens. However, these rights are <\/span><b>not absolute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The Constitution provides certain <\/span><b>exceptions and reasonable restrictions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to maintain public order, national security, morality and the interests of society.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These exceptions are important because individual rights sometimes need to be balanced with the <\/span><b>collective interests of the nation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why are there Exceptions to Fundamental Rights?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fundamental Rights cannot be unlimited because unrestricted exercise of one person&#8217;s rights may affect the rights and security of others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/freedom-of-speech-in-parliament\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>freedom of speech<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> does not give a person the unrestricted right to make statements that threaten national security or incite violence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Therefore, the Constitution allows certain <\/span><b>reasonable restrictions and exceptions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> while protecting the basic purpose of Fundamental Rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Exceptions to the Fundamental Rights<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>1. Reasonable Restrictions on Fundamental Rights<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Several Fundamental Rights, particularly those under <\/span><b>Article 19<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, are subject to reasonable restrictions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The State can impose restrictions on freedoms such as speech and expression in the interests of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sovereignty and integrity of India<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Security of the State<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Friendly relations with foreign States<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Public order<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Decency or morality<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Contempt of court<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Defamation<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Incitement to an offence<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, restrictions must be <\/span><b>reasonable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and cannot be arbitrary.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Special Provisions under Article 33<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Article 33<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows Parliament to modify or restrict Fundamental Rights of members of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Armed Forces<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Forces maintaining public order<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Intelligence organisations<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Organisations connected with intelligence<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The purpose is to ensure <\/span><b>discipline and proper functioning<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of these organisations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, members of the armed forces may face restrictions on certain forms of speech, association or political activity that could affect discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Protection under Article 34<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Article 34<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> deals with situations where <\/span><b>martial law<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is in force in any area.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parliament can provide legal protection for acts done by persons in connection with maintaining or restoring order during such circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The purpose is to enable authorities to restore <\/span><b>public order and security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in exceptional situations.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>4. Laws Made to Implement Certain Directive Principles<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Article 31C<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provides protection to certain laws made to give effect to the principles specified in <\/span><b>Article 39(b) and Article 39(c)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These provisions relate broadly to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Distribution of material resources of the community for the <\/span><b>common good<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Preventing the <\/span><b>concentration of wealth and means of production<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the common detriment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the scope of Article 31C has been significantly limited by the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>5. Protection of Laws under the Ninth Schedule<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/ninth-schedule\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Ninth Schedule<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was introduced through the <\/span><b>First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laws placed in the Ninth Schedule were initially intended to receive protection from challenges based on certain Fundamental Rights, particularly to facilitate <\/span><b>land reform legislation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this protection is <\/span><b>not absolute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>I.R. Coelho v. State of Tamil Nadu (2007)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the Supreme Court held that laws inserted into the Ninth Schedule after <\/span><b>24 April 1973<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can be reviewed if they violate the <\/span><b>basic structure of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>6. Article 35 and Parliament&#8217;s Special Legislative Power<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Article 35<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gives Parliament exclusive power to make laws concerning certain matters related to Fundamental Rights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These include laws relating to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Residence requirements in certain cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Restrictions on Fundamental Rights of members of certain forces and organisations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Punishment for acts such as <\/span><b>untouchability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and other offences mentioned in Part III.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means that, in certain Fundamental Rights matters, the power to make legislation lies specifically with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/functions-of-parliament\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Parliament<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rather than State Legislatures.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Exceptions During an Emergency<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Constitution also provides special provisions concerning Fundamental Rights during a <\/span><b>National Emergency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Suspension of Article 19<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Article 358<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, when a National Emergency is declared on the grounds of <\/span><b>war or external aggression<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the freedoms guaranteed under Article 19 receive special treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The protection under Article 358 is linked specifically to emergencies declared on these grounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Suspension of the Right to Move Courts<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under <\/span><b>Article 359<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the President may suspend the <\/span><b>right to move any court for the enforcement of specified <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/fundamental-rights-of-indian-constitution\/\" target=\"_blank\">Fundamental Rights<\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> during a National Emergency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><b>Articles 20 and 21 cannot be suspended<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under Article 359.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This protection was strengthened by the <\/span><b>44th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1978<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Are Fundamental Rights Absolute?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>No, Fundamental Rights are not absolute. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Constitution itself provides for reasonable restrictions and special provisions. At the same time, these restrictions are subject to <\/span><b>constitutional limitations and judicial review<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The judiciary plays an important role in ensuring that restrictions do not unnecessarily or arbitrarily take away individual freedoms.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fundamental Rights protect liberty, equality and dignity in India, but allow reasonable restrictions and exceptions for national security, public order, morality and the public interest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":121213,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[786],"tags":[9903,5568],"class_list":["post-121922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-general-studies","tag-exceptions-to-the-fundamental-rights","tag-fundamental-rights","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121922"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121922\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":121979,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121922\/revisions\/121979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}