Fundamental Rights, DPSP & Duties

Answer: (d) Article 21

In Justice K S Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (24 August 2017) a nine-judge Bench held that the right to privacy is protected as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21, and as part of the freedoms guaranteed by Part III. It overruled the earlier M P Sharma and Kharak Singh rulings to the extent that they denied such a right.

• ✓ (d) Article 21, 'Protection of life and personal liberty', is the Article the Court named as the home of the right to privacy.
• ✗ (c) Article 19 covers freedoms such as speech. The Court did not anchor privacy there; it named Article 21 and, more widely, the freedoms of Part III.
• ✗ (a) Article 15 is the equality provision against discrimination by the State on the listed grounds, such as religion, race, caste, sex and place of birth. The Court did not place privacy under it.
• ✗ (b) Article 16 deals with equality of opportunity in public employment, not privacy.

Remember · Puttaswamy (2017), nine judges: privacy is a fundamental right, an intrinsic part of life and personal liberty under Article 21 and of the freedoms in Part III.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) the lower court prohibiting continuation of proceedings in a case.

The writ of prohibition is issued by a higher court, that is the Supreme Court or a High Court, to a lower court that has taken up a case going beyond its jurisdiction. Its effect is to stop that lower court from continuing the proceedings.

• ✓ (c) A lower court that has considered a case beyond its jurisdiction is the target of this writ. The higher court orders it to stop the proceedings.
• ✗ (a) A writ aimed at an office holder who is not doing his legal duty is mandamus, which orders him to act. Prohibition is not addressed to an officer.
• ✗ (d) This writ is not aimed at the Government or at a legislature, as in options (d) and (b). It is directed at a lower court acting beyond its jurisdiction.

Remember · Prohibition: a higher court stops a lower court that has taken up a case beyond its jurisdiction. Mandamus is issued when an office holder neglects a legal duty.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 2 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error