Fundamental Rights And Fundamental Duties

Ten

Ten fundamental duties were added to the Constitution in 1976 through the 42nd Constitutional Amendment under Article 51-A. These include duties like respecting the Constitution, national symbols, promoting harmony, protecting environment, developing scientific temper, etc. An eleventh duty was added later after the Right to Education Act 2009, making parents responsible for their children's education. The original number was specifically ten duties.

86th Amendment

The 86th Constitutional Amendment in 2002 added Article 21-A, making education a fundamental right for children aged 6-14 years. This amendment made education compulsory and free for all children in this age group. However, it became enforceable only in 2009 when the Parliament passed the Right to Education Act. The 84th, 85th, and 87th amendments dealt with different constitutional matters, not education.

Part III

Fundamental Rights are mentioned in Part III of the Indian Constitution (Articles 12-35). Part III is titled 'Fundamental Rights' and contains all six categories of fundamental rights guaranteed to Indian citizens. Part II deals with Citizenship, Part IV contains Directive Principles of State Policy, and Part V deals with the Union Government. The placement in Part III emphasizes their importance in the constitutional framework.

State has no religion of its own

In the context of Right to Freedom of Religion, 'secular state' means that the Indian State has no religion of its own. This allows the state to treat all religions equally and ensures that citizens have complete freedom to follow any religion they choose. The state neither promotes one religion nor prohibits any religion, but maintains neutrality. This is essential in a multi-religious country like India where people of different faiths live together.