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          FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES[1]

(Art. 51-A)

QUESTION BANK.

Q.1.    Write a detailed note on Fundamental Duties under the constitution of

               India.

SHORT NOTES

1. Fundamental Duties.
2. Duties of a citizen.
3. Give a brief account of the Fundamental duties.

I.        INTRODUCTION:-

                    No right can exist without correlative duty. The right of one may be the duty of others. Therefore, the Indian constitution provides for fundamental rights in Part III and fundamental duties in Part IV A (i.e., Art. 51 A).

                    This part IV-A consists of only one Article, i.e. Art. 51-A. It was added to the Constitution by the 42^nd Amendment in 1976. This Article specifies the code of ten fundamental duties for citizens for the first time. We have borrowed this concept from the Soviet Constitution.

II.      FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES[2]:-

          Art. 51-A lays down that “it shall be the duty of every citizen of India-

1. a) To abide by the constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the national flag[3] , and the national anthem[4].
2. b) To cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom[5].
3. c) To uphold and protect India’s sovereignty, unity and integrity.
4. d) To defend the country and render national services when called upon[6].
5. e) To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India, transcending religious, linguistic and regional[7] or sectional diversities, to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women[8].
6. f) To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture[9].
7. g) To protect and improve the natural environment, including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife, to have compassion for living creatures[10].
8. h) To develop scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of enquiry[11] and reform.
9. i) To safeguard public property and to abjure violence[12].
10. j) To strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement[13].
11. k) Parent to provide opportunities for education to his child[14] or, as the case may be, to his ward between the ages of six and fourteen[15].

III.     ENFORCEMENT OF DUTIES[16]:-

                    Fundamental duties are not enforceable in the Constitution. However, they are statutory duties and are enforceable by law. Parliament can impose penalties for non-abiding these duties or obligations by making a law.

In Bijoe Emmannual v. Kerala[17].

Supreme Court held that the students standing up in sincerity when the National Anthem was being sung had not committed disrespect to the National Anthem if they had not joined in the singing of the National Anthem.

                    For successful implementation of the fundamental duties, the State should make every effort to make them known to the general public. Even by making a law, the breach of fundamental duties has been penalised, e.g., the Wildlife Protection Act penalises killing wildlife, and Pollution or de-forestation has been penalised.

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[1]   मुलभूत कर्तव्य

[2]  मुलभूत कर्तव्य

[3] राष्ट्रध्वज

[4]  राष्ट्रगीत

[5]  स्वातंत्र्य लढयास प्रेरक उदात्त आदर्षाचे जतन व पालन करणे

[6]  देशाचे संरक्षण करणे तसेच राश्ट्रसेवा करणे

[7] एकोपा तसेच वर्गविरहित, भेदभावरहित, बंधुभाव निर्माण करणे

[8]  स्त्रियांच्या प्रतिश्ठेला बाधक प्रथा मोडणे

[9]   देशाची एकात्मीक संस्कृती आणि गौरवषाली परंपरेचे संरक्षण करणे

[10] जंगले, सरोवरे, नदया, वन्यजीव यांचे रक्षण व संवर्धन करणे व सजीव सजीव प्राण्याला दया दाखविण s In M. C. Mehta (2) v. Union of India. (1983) 1 SCC 471.

Supreme Court Held– that under Art. 51- A (g) it is the duty of the Central Government to introduce compulsory teaching of lessons at least for one hour in a week on protection and improvement of natural environment in all the educational institutions of the country. It also directed to the Central Government to get text books written on that subject and distribute them to the educational institutions free of cost.

[11] वैज्ञानिक दृश्टीकोन, मानवतावाद वाढीस लावणे

[12]S सार्वजनिक संपत्तीचे संरक्षण करणे व हिंसाचारापासून दूर राहणे

[13]S व्यक्तीगत आणि सामुदायिक उत्कर्शाकडे वाटचाल करणे, जेणेकरुन राश्ट्राची प्रगती उत्तरोत्तर वाढेल असा प्रयत्न करणे

[14] पालकांनी मुलांना शिक्षणाच्या संधी उपलब्ध करुन द्यावी.

[15] Inserted by 86^th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2002.

[16] मुलभूत कर्तव्याची अंमलबजावणी

[17] AIR 1987 SC 740.