Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion. This right is available to:

Explanation

Article 25 is framed as a right of "all persons", not as a right reserved for "citizens". Freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion extend to anyone covered by the person-based wording, so both citizens and non-citizens are included. The same clause also sets the limits. The entitlement is not absolute; it is subject to public order, morality and health, and to the other provisions of Part III. Therefore, the broad person-based formulation is correct, not a citizenship-based or community-based one.

Why the other options are wrong

• (A) Article 25 uses "all persons", so limiting the right to Indian citizens narrows the constitutional text.
• (B) The Article 25 guarantee is not confined to Hindu citizens; it covers all persons, subject to the stated limits.
• (D) Article 25 is not a minority-only protection because the text gives the freedom equally to all persons.

Concept

The Fundamental Rights distinction between rights granted to citizens and rights granted to all persons matters in Article 25. In RAS, a single constitutional word, such as "citizens" or "persons", changes the class of beneficiaries.

Source

• Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India

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