Fundamental Rights in Indian Constitution 

The Indian Constitution is the longest active written constitution of a country in the world. The English language version contains 1,45,000 words. The constitution has a preamble, 470 articles which are divided into 25 parts. It came into effect on 26 January 1949 which is about 73 years ago. It originally contained 395 articles which were divided into 22 parts.

Fundamental Rights

Some rights which are fundamental for our lives are called fundamental rights. Article 12-35 (Part III) of The Indian Constitution contain Fundamental Rights given to every citizen of India. Those rights are:-

1. Right to equality (Article 14-18)

According to the right to equality, all the citizens of India should be treated as equals regardless of their religion, caste , ethnicity, gender, place of birth, economical background etc. All the citizens should have access to all the public places. 

Rule of Law- Right to equality also implies that law in the same manner to everyone regardless of their social status and no person is above the law. In the matter of law, there should not be any difference between a political leader or an ordinary person. 

2. Right to freedom (Article 19 to 22)

Right to freedom implies absence of interference of government in a individual's choice of lifestyle as long as the person is not hurting anyone. To put it in a simple manner, right to freedom gives us a right to do the things the way we wish to do them. The government cannot interfere in anyone's matters unless they are hurting people. 

India constitution gives all citizens the freedom to

* Form association and unions

* Move freely around the country

*Freedom of speech and expression

*Form assembly in a peaceful manner

*Practice any profession 

*Reside in any part of the country

One must remember that these freedoms also come with restrictions, such as;-

* Everyone is granted Freedom of speech and expression as long as they are not stating false statements, bullying someone or damaging someone's reputation.

*Every citizen has right to form unions but they have to be peaceful.

3. Right against exploitation (Article 23 to 24)

(Exploitation means taking advantage of something/someone.)

Right against exploitation protects every citizen from being exploited. This article restricts -

*Human trafficking

Human trafficking means selling and buying of human beings for immoral purposes. Humans are sold without their consent either by force or deception. 

*Forced labour or Begar

Forced labour occurs when individuals have to work or provide service against thier will without getting anything in return for their service.

*Child labour

Child labour refers to any form of work which deprives children of their childhood, disturbs their education and harms them physically or mentally. The constitution restricts hiring any child below the age of 14 to work in any kind of hazardous environment.

4. Right to freedom of religion( Article 25 to 28) 

Right to freedom of religion gives every citizen the right to practice or believe in any religion of their choice or to not believe in any religion at all. Every religious person/group have the right to manage their own religious affairs without the interference of government as long as they are not violating any laws or the fundamental rights of other people. This article makes India a secular country. A secular country is a country where religion is kept separate from government. 

5. Cultural and Educational Rights (Article 29 to 30) 

Cultural and Educational Rights give all the citizens (specially minorities) the right to preserve their language and culture. According to this article -

*All citizens with distinct culture or language have the right to preserve it.

* All minorities have the right to establish educational institutions of their choice.

*All the citizens have the right to take admission in any educational institution maintained or aided by government regardless of their religion or language.

 6. Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32)

According to this article, if any of the citizen's fundamental rights are violated then the citizen has the right to seek remedy through courts. An invidual can even go to supreme court if his/ her rights are violated.