Study Material and Notes of Ch 6 Democratic Rights Class 9th Civics
What are Rights?• Rights are reasonable claims of persons recognised by society and sanctioned by law.
Case Study where rights are denied
Prison in Guantanamo Bay
• About 600 people were secretly picked up by the US forces from all over the world.
• They were put in a prison in Guantanamo Bay, an area near Cuba controlled by American Navy.
• They were linked to the attack on New York on 11 September 2001.
• The US army arrested them, interrogated them and decided whether to keep them there or not.
• There was no trial before any magistrate in the US.
• Amnesty International, reported that the prisoners were being tortured in ways that violated the US laws.
• The UN Secretary General said the prison in Guantanamo Bay should be closed down but the US government refused to accept these pleas.
Why do we need rights in a democracy?
• For democratic elections to take place it is necessary that citizens should have the right to express their opinion, form political parties and take part in political activities.
• Rights are guarantees which can be used when things go wrong.
• The government should protect the citizens’ rights.
• In most democracies, the basic rights of the citizen are written down in the constitution.
Rights in the Indian Constitution
• Indian Constitution provides for six Fundamental Rights.
Right to Equality
• According to constitution, the laws apply in the same manner to all, regardless of a person’s status. This is called the rule of law.
• The government shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
Right to Freedom
• Freedom means absence of interference in our affairs by others – be it other individuals or the government.
Indian Constitution gives all citizens the right to:
→ Freedom of speech and expression
→ Assembly in a peaceful manner
→ Form associations and unions
→ Move freely throughout the country
→ Reside in any part of the country
→ Practice any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.
→ No person can be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
→ A government or police officer can arrest or detain any citizen unless he has proper legal justification.
Right against Exploitation
• The Constitution prohibits ‘traffic in human beings’.
• The Constitution also forbids forced labour or beggar in any form.
• The Constitution also prohibits child labour.
Right to Freedom of Religion
• India is a secular state which means it does not establish any one religion as official religion.
• Every person has a right to profess, practice and propagate the religion he or she believes in.
Cultural and Educational Rights
• The working of democracy gives power to the majority therefore it is the language, culture and religion of minorities that needs special protection.
• The Constitution specifies the cultural and educational rights of the minorities:
→ Any section of citizens with a distinct language or culture have a right to conserve it.
→ Admission to any educational institution maintained by government or receiving government aid cannot be denied to any citizen on the ground of religion or language.
• All minorities have the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
How can we secure these rights?
• The right to seek the enforcement of the fundamental rights is called the Right to Constitutional Remedies.
• This itself is a Fundamental Right which makes other rights effective.
Expanding scope of Rights
• Fundamental Rights are the source of all rights, our Constitution and law offers a wider range of rights.
• Over the years the scope of rights has expanded.
• Various other rights are:
→ Right to freedom of press
→ Right to information
→ Right to education
→ School Education
→ Right to information
→ Right to life
• Constitution provides many more rights, which may not be Fundamental Rights.
→ Right to property and Right to vote in elections are important constitutional rights.
Extra Questions of Chapter 6 Democratic Rights