RAS question
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution guarantees:
Correct answer: (A) Equality before the law and equal protection of laws.
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
Explanation
Article 14 is the core equality guarantee in the Constitution. The official text says that the State shall not deny any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. The MCQ explanation separates the two ideas: equality before the law is the British idea that no person gets special legal privileges, while equal protection of the laws is the American idea that people in equal circumstances must receive equal legal treatment. This does not force identical treatment in every situation. Article 14 permits reasonable classification, but it rejects class legislation, so the classification must not become a cover for unequal treatment.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Protection against double jeopardy is not the guarantee stated in Article 14, whose text is about equality before the law and equal protection of the laws.
- (C) Freedom of speech and expression only cannot fit Article 14 because the article speaks of equality and equal legal protection, not a speech-specific freedom.
- (D) The right to constitutional remedies is a different constitutional idea; Article 14 itself guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws.
Concept
This tests the Right to Equality under Fundamental Rights, especially the two-part wording of Article 14. It recurs in RAS because reasonable classification versus class legislation is a standard constitutional-law distinction.