Article 21
Protection of Life and Personal Liberty
PART I — THE EXPANDING HORIZON
THE CORE
Life & Liberty
- Heart of Fundamental Rights
- Available to citizens & aliens
- Deprivation only by law
- Dignity, not mere animal existence
A.K. GOPALAN (1950)
Procedure by Law
- Early narrow interpretation
- Protection against executive only
- Legislature supreme
- Law needs only to exist
MANEKA GANDHI (1978)
Due Process Principle
- Overruled Gopalan case
- Law must be fair, just, reasonable
- Protection against arbitrary legislature
- American 'Due Process' introduced
PART II — IMPLIED RIGHTS MULTIVERSE
K.S. PUTTASWAMY (2017)
Right to Privacy
- Intrinsic part of life & liberty
- Informational privacy
- Bodily autonomy
- Subject to reasonable proportionality
MC MEHTA CASES
Clean Environment
- Right to pollution-free water/air
- Protection from hazardous industries
- Ecological balance
- Sustainable development
SUPREME COURT EXPANSIONS
The Umbrella Rights
- Right to speedy trial
- Right to free legal aid
- Right to livelihood (Olga Tellis)
- Right against solitary confinement
PART III — ABSOLUTE PROTECTION
44TH AMENDMENT
Emergency Immunity
- Cannot be suspended
- Even during National Emergency
- Overrules ADM Jabalpur case
- Ultimate constitutional safeguard
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