RAS question
Which of the following statements about Fundamental Duties is correct?
Correct answer: (A) They are non-justiciable, like the Directive Principles.
Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution are non-justiciable moral and civic responsibilities under Article 51A, so they cannot be directly enforced by courts like Fundamental Rights.
Explanation
Fundamental Duties are placed in Part IV-A through Article 51A and are framed as duties of every citizen of India. The Press Information Bureau, Government of India describes them as moral and civic responsibilities, not legally enforceable mandates; unlike Fundamental Rights, they remain non-justiciable. That is why option A is correct: they resemble the Directive Principles in not being directly enforceable by courts. The distinction is important but not absolute in constitutional reasoning. The Supreme Court has used Fundamental Duties to interpret ambiguous laws and assess the constitutionality of legislation. They were added in 1976 rather than being part of the 1950 Constitution, and they apply only to Indian citizens, not to foreigners.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Fundamental Duties were added in 1976, so they were not part of the original Constitution that came into force in 1950.
- (C) Article 51A frames Fundamental Duties as duties of every citizen of India, so the statement wrongly extends them to non-citizens.
- (D) Because Fundamental Duties are non-justiciable moral and civic responsibilities, they cannot be directly enforced by the Supreme Court under Article 32.
Concept
This tests the standard Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties comparison in Indian Polity. RAS repeats it because it checks whether candidates understand enforceability, beneficiaries and the later constitutional insertion of Part IV-A.