'Right to Privacy' is protected under which Article of the Constitution of India?
- (a) Article 15
- (b) Article 19
- (c) Article 21 ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) Article 29
Why the answer is (c)
• In K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) a nine-judge Constitution Bench unanimously held that the right to privacy is a fundamental right intrinsic to the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 — option (c).
• It overruled M.P. Sharma (1954) and Kharak Singh (1962), which had denied privacy constitutional status.
• Privacy also draws on the freedoms in Article 19 and the guarantees of Part III as a whole, but its home is Article 21.
• Article 15 (a) bars discrimination; Article 29 (d) protects minorities' culture.
• Hence option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Article 15
- Article 15 prohibits discrimination, not privacy.
- (b) Article 19
- Article 19 covers freedoms; privacy is rooted in Article 21.
- (d) Article 29
- Article 29 protects minority culture and language.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2021, held on 10 October 2021. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.