Fundamental Rights provided by which of the following groups of Articles are granted only to ‘Citizens’ of India ?
- (1)Articles 14, 20, 23 and 30
- (2)Articles 15, 21, 25 and 28
- (3)Articles 20, 21, 25 and 30
- (4)Articles 15, 16, 19 and 30
Answer
Why
Correct — option (4), Articles 15, 16, 19 and 30.
The test is the wording of each article. Some Fundamental Rights are framed for "citizens"; others for "any person" or "all persons", which includes foreigners in India.
Article 15(1) bars the State from discriminating "against any citizen" on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Article 16(1) guarantees "equality of opportunity for all citizens" in public employment.
Article 19(1) opens: "All citizens shall have the right—" to the listed freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession.
Article 30 gives minorities based on religion or language the right to run their own educational institutions. It sits with Article 29, which begins "Any section of the citizens", under Cultural and Educational Rights, and the two are grouped among the citizens-only rights.
So Articles 15, 16, 19 and 30 is the one group made up entirely of citizens-only rights. Look for the word "citizen" in the article itself.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)Articles 14, 20, 23 and 30 — Three of these four protect every person in India, not only citizens. Article 14 says the State shall not deny "to any person" equality before the law; Article 20 opens "No person shall be convicted"; Article 23 prohibits traffic in human beings and forced labour outright.
Only Article 30 belongs with the citizens' rights. This group is closer to a list of rights that foreigners in India can also claim.
- (2)Articles 15, 21, 25 and 28 — Article 15 is citizens-only, but the other three are not. Article 21 says "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty"; Article 25 says "all persons are equally entitled" to freedom of conscience and religion; Article 28(3) protects "No person attending" a recognised institution from compulsory religious instruction.
That makes it a mixed group, anchored in the freedom of religion articles (25–28), which cover all persons.
- (3)Articles 20, 21, 25 and 30 — This keeps Article 30 but pairs it with three articles written for "any person" or "all persons": Article 20 (protection in respect of conviction for offences), Article 21 (life and personal liberty) and Article 25 (freedom of conscience and religion).
Articles 20 and 21 are the rights that cannot be suspended during a national emergency under Article 359, and they protect citizens and foreigners alike.
Concept
Part III of the Constitution does not give every Fundamental Right to the same people. The wording of each article shows whom it protects.
Five are confined to citizens: Article 15 (non-discrimination), Article 16 (equality in public employment), Article 19 (the freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession), Article 29 (protection of interests of minorities) and Article 30 (minorities' educational institutions).
Most of the rest are framed for "any person" or "all persons", or are worded without naming a holder.
They include equality before law (Article 14), protection in respect of conviction (Article 20), life and personal liberty (Article 21), the prohibition of forced labour (Article 23) and the freedom of religion articles (25–28). A foreigner in India can invoke these.
RPSC's 2024 syllabus lists "Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties" under the Indian Constitution. Fundamental Rights questions can turn on article numbers, so the citizens-only five are worth holding as a set: 15, 16, 19, 29, 30.
The set also explains practical limits. A foreign national in India cannot claim a public job under Article 16 or the freedoms of Article 19, but can claim equality before law and the protection of life and personal liberty.
The same distinction reappears with Directive Principles: Article 39A, for example, speaks of justice not being denied "to any citizen".
Key facts
- Fundamental Rights available only to citizens: Articles 15, 16, 19, 29 and 30.
- Article 14 guarantees equality before the law "to any person" within the territory of India.
- Article 21: "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law."
- Article 25 makes "all persons" equally entitled to freedom of conscience and to profess, practise and propagate religion.
- Article 19(1)(f), the right to property, was omitted by the 44th Amendment Act, 1978, leaving six freedoms under Article 19(1).
Option (4) is the only group in which every article is a citizens-only right.
Study next
Common traps
- Article 30 is worded around "all minorities", not "citizens", yet it belongs with Article 29 in the citizens-only group. Reading its wording alone can mislead.
- Articles 14 and 15 sit side by side under the Right to Equality but have different holders: 14 covers any person, 15 covers citizens.
- One citizens-only article in an option does not make the whole group citizens-only. Check all four numbers; options (1), (2) and (3) each contain one.
One shape gives groups of article numbers and asks which group is available only to citizens, or to foreigners as well.
Another can name a single right — public employment, freedom of speech, life and liberty — and ask whether a foreign national can claim it.
A third mixes this with emergency provisions, asking which rights survive a Proclamation of Emergency.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2023 and 2013 here once those papers are published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following Fundamental Rights can be claimed by a foreign national in India?
- (a)Article 16 — equality of opportunity in public employment
- (b)Article 19 — protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.
- (c)Article 21 — protection of life and personal liberty
- (d)Article 29 — protection of interests of minorities
Answer(3) — Article 21 says "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty", so it covers foreigners too. Option (1) fails because Article 16 guarantees equality of opportunity "for all citizens". Option (2) fails because Article 19 begins "All citizens shall have the right". Option (4) fails because Article 29 protects "any section of the citizens". - practice — not a real PYQ
The right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India is guaranteed to:
- (a)all persons within the territory of India
- (b)all citizens of India
- (c)citizens of India and resident foreigners
- (d)only those citizens who are registered voters
Answer(2) — Article 19(1) opens "All citizens shall have the right—". Option (1) describes the reach of rights like Articles 14 and 21, not Article 19. Option (3) wrongly extends Article 19 to foreigners. Option (4) adds a voter-registration condition that the article does not contain.