Exploring Society II · Chapter 5 — Citizenship: Rights and Duties

A new girl in class is teased on the playground for her accent. Two classmates tell the bullies to stop, and then invite her to join their badminton team so she feels she belongs. They have not done anything grand, yet they have shown exactly what being a good citizen means: standing up for someone and making sure no one is left out.

Citizen: a legal meaning. A citizen is a person who legally belongs to a country and is a member of its political community, which means they can take part in its decision-making, for example by voting. In India, the Citizenship Act, 1955 and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 set the rules for gaining or losing citizenship. All citizens are equal under the Constitution, whatever their language, religion or culture.

Citizen: a social meaning. Citizenship is also a responsibility. It creates a sense of belonging and unites people through shared values, rights and duties. A citizen enjoys rights, such as voting, speaking freely and living and working safely, but these rights have limits. A citizen also has duties, such as obeying the law, paying taxes, respecting others and helping keep society safe.

Resident or citizen?

Active citizenship. Being a citizen is not just carrying a passport. It means participating: helping people in need, protecting the environment, questioning unfair practices and standing up for what is right. In this way citizens shape the future of their society.

Four key ideas. This chapter explores four ideas. Three of them appear directly in our Constitution; the fourth is a positive way of making sure the third does not happen.

• Rights: freedoms such as equality, free speech, religion and education that let people live with dignity.
• Duties: responsibilities such as obeying laws, paying taxes, keeping surroundings clean and helping others.
• Discrimination: unfair treatment because of a person's identity, which citizens must oppose.
• Inclusion: making sure no one is left out because of language, religion, culture, ethnicity, caste or gender.

At a town festival, a girl is told she cannot speak in a debate, a vendor's son is kept out of the library stall, some children are cleaning the grounds instead of going to school, and a boy in a wheelchair cannot enter a hall with no ramp. Their teacher explains that the Constitution gives every citizen rights that would correct each of these wrongs. When the children speak up, changes follow.

What is a right? Rights are what we are entitled to as human beings and members of society. But not everything we want is a right. A right is something we need to live with dignity, safety and respect, such as education, earning a living or expressing ideas. An action that harms ourselves or others cannot be a right. That is why rights are called justified claims: they support the well-being and dignity of all.

Fundamental Rights. Our Constitution lists six broad groups of Fundamental Rights. They are enforceable: if they are violated, a person can go to court.

Protection from whom? Fundamental Rights protect us from unfair treatment by other people and also from unfair action by the government. They ensure that every person is treated fairly and that power is not misused.

Back to the festival. The girl's right to equality and freedom of speech let her join the debate; the vendor's son's right to equality opened the library stall; the right against exploitation and the right to education sent the working children to school; and the right to life with dignity meant a ramp for the boy in the wheelchair.

Rights have limits. Because a right must not harm others, most rights come with reasonable limits. Free speech, for example, does not include spreading lies that harm someone or calling for violence.

The right to equality (Articles 14–18). Every person is equal before the law and has equal opportunity in jobs and education. No one may be discriminated against because of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. Untouchability is abolished. The government may not hand out titles to individuals, except military and academic honours.

Equality or equity? Imagine three children of different heights trying to watch a match over a fence. If each gets one box to stand on, that is equality: everyone receives exactly the same support. But the shortest child still cannot see. If boxes are given according to need, so that everyone can see, that is equity: everyone gets the support they need, fairly.

Differences between people often come from inequality and discrimination that have built up over history. To make equality real, governments and civil society organisations take steps towards equity. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign, for example, built awareness and supported girls' education.

The right to freedom (Articles 19–22). This lets people express themselves, move freely across the country, assemble peacefully and choose how to live and work. Article 21 protects life and personal liberty, and Article 21A gives free and compulsory education to children aged 6 to 14.

Freedom with reasonable limits. These freedoms are not unlimited. They carry reasonable restrictions so that they are not misused to harm others or the nation. Freedom of speech does not allow defaming someone or inciting violence; freedom of movement can be limited during an epidemic.

A school example. On a hot Sports Day, students wonder why they must wear full uniform instead of sports clothes. One student raises it politely at break time. That is freedom of speech. Teachers point out that school rules must still be followed. The best path is to express the concern respectfully and through the right channel, such as the student council, rather than breaking the rule. Freedom and responsibility go together.

The right to life (Article 21). This protects a person's life and liberty. Courts have explained that it means not just staying alive but living with dignity. It therefore includes the right to livelihood, education, health, a clean environment and fair treatment under the law. It also protects children with disabilities, so they get the support they need to learn, play and take part fully. A tactile map in a school for the blind, for example, helps make the right to education real.

Rights for nature? Some countries give nature legal rights. In New Zealand the Whanganui River is legally treated as a living being, and Costa Rica protects nature's rights in its Constitution. In 2017 the Uttarakhand High Court declared the Ganga and Yamuna to be legal persons with guardians, but the Supreme Court suspended and later overturned this as 'legally unsustainable'. The debate shows how people are searching for stronger ways to protect the environment.

The right against exploitation (Articles 23–24). Exploitation means taking unfair advantage of people by denying them respect, liberty and rights. It takes many forms:

• Bonded labour: forcing people to work without fair wages.
• Human trafficking: trading or selling people for profit.
• Abuse of women or children.
• Child labour: making children work instead of going to school, especially in dangerous places.

Why children need special protection. Children depend on adults for safety, may not know their rights and often cannot get help on their own. A working child loses education, play and a healthy childhood. So, in general, children below 14 may not be employed; they may help in a non-hazardous family enterprise only in vacations or after school. Work in factories, mines and restaurants is banned.

Childline 1098. India has a free national helpline for children: 1098 (easy to remember: count backwards from 10). It began as a project at an educational institution in the late 1990s. In 2015 a citizen called Childline about 20 children forced to embroider clothes in a cramped factory and fed only once a day. A team rescued them, gave them medical care and arranged their care, and the culprits were arrested.

What you can do. If you see a child working instead of studying, tell a teacher or principal, or call 1098. One phone call can change a child's life.

India is home to many religions, languages and cultures. Three Fundamental Rights protect this diversity and make all the other rights real.

Right to freedom of religion (Articles 25–28). Every person may choose, practise and share their religion freely. At the same time, no one can be forced to follow, spread or pay for a particular religion. Schools run or aided by the government may not promote any one religion. This keeps every faith equal in the eyes of the state and protects India's diversity.

Cultural and educational rights (Articles 29–30). Communities may preserve their language, script and traditions. No student may be refused admission to a government institution because of religion, caste, race or language. Religious and linguistic minorities have the right to set up and manage their own schools and colleges.

A balance to think about. The Constitution protects minorities' special rights and also upholds equality without discrimination on the basis of religion. These two aims can sometimes seem to pull in different directions, and some people argue that certain minority protections clash with the idea of secularism. Thinking through such questions calmly and respectfully is part of being a citizen.

Right to constitutional remedies (Article 32). A right that cannot be enforced is only a promise on paper. This right allows citizens to go directly to the Supreme Court if their Fundamental Rights are violated. Dr B.R. Ambedkar told the Constituent Assembly that this was the one article without which the Constitution would be meaningless, calling it its very soul and heart.

Why remedies matter. Think of rights as locks that protect us, and the right to remedies as the key that opens the court's door when the locks are broken. Without the key, the locks would mean little.

One Sunday, the families of a colony gather to clean their park. Children pick up wrappers, parents clear blocked drains, some plant saplings, older students leave water and food for street dogs, and grandparents guide everyone. Asked why she is working instead of playing, a little girl answers, 'It's our duty to care for our neighbourhood.' That is the spirit of Fundamental Duties.

History. When the Constitution came into force in 1950 it had no list of duties. In 1976 an amendment added ten Fundamental Duties in Article 51A (Part IV-A). In 2002 an eleventh duty was added. The aim was to remind citizens that enjoying rights goes together with responsibilities.

The eleven duties, with everyday examples.

Why duties help. They keep democracy strong: they encourage good governance, unity, care for nature and learning, and a society where everyone can live with dignity.

Old ideas of duty. Are rights and duties purely modern? Scholars note that dharma is often translated as 'duty', though it means much more, including what benefits people and society. Another ancient idea, ṛiṇa or 'debt', held that by being born we owe something to the gods, our ancestors and parents, our teachers, other humans and nature, and should repay it. The word for rights, adhikāra, once meant capacity or competence: you had the 'right' to do a task if you were able to do it. Today's Constitution, in contrast, guarantees rights to everyone.

A coin has two faces, and you cannot have one without the other. Rights and duties work the same way. Rights are the freedoms and benefits every citizen enjoys; duties are the responsibilities we carry as members of a community. Rights let us live with dignity; duties remind us to use that freedom wisely and respectfully.

How they differ in law.

Every right has a matching duty. If I have a right, others have the same right, and I have a duty to respect it.

Everyday situations. Think about which right or duty is involved:

• Ravi does not join a protest at school because he disagrees, and classmates threaten to exclude him. Ravi's freedom of expression includes the freedom not to join; his classmates have a duty to respect that.
• Rukmini wears her family's traditional dress on Culture Day and is laughed at. Her cultural rights are involved, and others have a duty to promote harmony and respect.
• Children throw wrappers on the playground. They are ignoring the duty to protect the environment.
• Students in remote areas join a mock youth parliament through an app. Technology here supports equal participation.

Can we demand rights without doing our duties? We can demand them, but a society where everyone takes and no one gives soon stops working. When I do my duty, I help protect your rights, and when you do yours, you protect mine. That is why Mahatma Gandhi said that the true source of rights is duty.

Sanya wanted to audition for the lead in the school play, but some students whispered that she did not 'fit the image'. She auditioned anyway, impressed the teachers and won an important role. Her drama teacher explained that judging someone by looks is unfair, a form of discrimination.

What discrimination is. Discrimination means treating a person or group badly because of caste, religion, ethnicity, disability, race, appearance, gender, sexuality or economic background. It is wrong and also illegal. It harms the person, in mind and body, and the whole society. It puts up a barrier that stops people from enjoying their Fundamental Rights. A person who discriminates breaks the core values of the Constitution: respect and unity.

Visible and invisible discrimination. Some discrimination is open, like refusing someone entry. Much is quieter: mocking someone's weight with a nickname, ignoring a classmate who cannot afford a school trip, or refusing to sit next to someone on the bus because of their background. Such invisible discrimination is hard to prove and so hard to punish, which is why each of us must notice it and refuse to take part.

People who fought it.

• Savitribai Phule opened a school for girls in the mid-19th century, when many believed girls should not study. Because she came from the Mali community, regarded as a 'lower' caste, people abused her and threw mud at her on her way to school. She kept going and, with Jyotiba Phule, opened education to girls and children of all backgrounds.
• Anandibai Joshi was married at nine in 1874 and lost her baby soon after it was born for lack of medical care. She resolved to become a doctor, studied at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania despite fierce opposition, and graduated, though she died of illness soon after.

Inclusion. Inclusion means creating a setting where everyone feels welcome, respected and valued, with equal access to opportunities, especially groups excluded in the past. It goes beyond reservations: it means people actually feel accepted and supported. Examples include braille books, ramps, classroom support for children with special needs, welcoming students of every caste and religion, and finding ways for speakers of different languages to communicate.

A small example. A teacher's reading club attracted only confident English readers. She added books in the regional language, storytelling and puppetry, and soon every child joined. Removing one barrier opened the door for all.

Your role. Speak up against unfairness, wait for a slower classmate in group work, include the new student, and help design spaces everyone can use. Democracy grows stronger when everyone can take part.