GS Paper II 2022 · Q2
10 marks · 150 words Constitution: evolution, features & basic structure X-Ray · Core #21“Right of movement and residence throughout the territory of India are freely available to the Indian citizens, but these rights are not absolute.” Comment.
Approach · directive: “comment”
What it asks · Explain the rights in Article 19(1)(d) and (e), and comment on the statutory and judicial restrictions that make them non-absolute.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Comment on the freedom: what Article 19(1)(d) and (e) guarantee to citizens and why it matters
- Comment on the limits: the reasonable restrictions under Article 19(5), with examples, and how courts test them
Open with · Article 19(1)(d) and (e) let citizens move freely throughout India and reside and settle in any part, but Article 19(5) allows the State to restrict both.
Cover
- Scope: citizens only, not foreigners; makes India one space for work, migration and settlement, underpinning national unity.
- Travel abroad falls under Article 21's fair procedure: Satwant Singh Sawhney (1967) and Maneka Gandhi (1978).
- Grounds: Article 19(5) permits reasonable restrictions in the general public's interest or to protect Scheduled Tribes.
- Tribal and frontier areas: Inner Line Permits (Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur) and Scheduled Area land laws limit entry and settlement.
- Public order and health: curfews, Section 144 CrPC orders, externment of habitual offenders, quarantine and lockdown rules.
- Judicial check: Anuradha Bhasin (2020) required Section 144 orders to be reasoned, proportionate and reviewable.
- Portability: One Nation One Ration Card, in all 36 States/UTs from June 2022, makes food security move with migrants.
Close with · Freedom of movement is the rule and restriction the exception; One Nation One Ration Card, now in all 36 States/UTs, lets welfare travel with the migrant citizen.
Add value (verified)
- Article 19(5) permits reasonable restrictions on movement and residence in the interests of the general public or to protect Scheduled Tribes.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 19(5) — Legislative Department ↗“reasonable restrictions on the exercise of any of the rights conferred by the said sub-clauses either in the interests of the general public or for the protection of the interests of any Scheduled Tribe”
- One Nation One Ration Card reached all 36 States/UTs when Assam joined in June 2022, making food security portable.Assam becomes the 36th State/UT to implement One Nation One Ration Card - PIB, 21 June 2022 ↗“With this, the ONORC plan is successfully implemented in all the 36 states/UTs”
- ONORC was designed especially for migrant beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act.Assam becomes the 36th State/UT to implement One Nation One Ration Card - PIB, 21 June 2022 ↗“foodgrains to NFSA (National Food Security Act) beneficiaries, especially migrant beneficiaries”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 218words · Minimalist IAS
Article 19(1)(d) and (e) let every citizen move freely throughout India and reside and settle anywhere in it. Yet Article 19(5) qualifies both, so the freedom is wide but not absolute.
What the freedom guarantees
- Citizens only: foreigners lack it; for citizens it makes India one space for work and settlement, underpinning national unity.
- Within India only: travel abroad falls under Article 21's fair procedure (Satwant Singh Sawhney, 1967; Maneka Gandhi, 1978).
Why these rights are not absolute
- Constitutional grounds: Article 19(5) allows reasonable restrictions for the general public or to protect Scheduled Tribes.
- Tribal and frontier areas: Inner Line Permits in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur, and land-transfer laws in Scheduled Areas, guard tribal land and culture.
- Public order: curfews, prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC, and externment of habitual offenders.
- Public health: quarantine and lockdown rules during an epidemic.
Limits under Article 19(5): General public interest; Tribal protection; Public order; Public health
How courts keep the limits reasonable
- Rule of law: every restriction needs a law behind it.
- Proportionality: Anuradha Bhasin (2020) required Section 144 orders to be reasoned, proportionate and reviewable.
Freedom of movement is the rule, restriction the exception. Welfare must move with citizens too: since June 2022, One Nation One Ration Card runs in all 36 States/UTs, making rations portable for migrants.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
