Essay on fundamental duties
Answers
In one respect, the legal utility of the Fundamental Duties is similar to that of the Directives as they stood in the Constitution of 1949; while the Directives were addressed to the State, without any sanction, so are the Duties addressed to the citizen, without any legal sanction for their violation.
The citizen, it is expected, should be his own monitor while exercising and enforcing his fundamental rights, remembering that he owes the duties specified in Art. 51A to the State and that if he does not care for the duties he should not deserve the rights.
For instance, a person who burns the Constitution, in violation of the duty in Art. 51 A, cannot assert that the meeting or assembly at which it was burnt by way of demonstration against the Government should be protected by the freedom of expression or assembly guaranteed by Art. 19.
Of course, the duty as such is not legally enforceable in the Courts; but if the State makes a law to prohibit any act or conduct in violation of any of the duties, the courts would uphold that as a reasonable restriction on the relevant fundamental right.
The Fundamental Duties inscribed in the Constitution are a mixed bag of expectations and exhortations. Quite a good number of these items are those which are enforceable today even without their being specifically incorporated in the Constitution.
In this category fall the items to abide by the Constitution, respect the National Flag and the National Anthem, to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so and safeguard public property.
To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India draws sustenance from the same moral source from which the Constitution’s Sixteenth or anti-secessionist amendment itself stems.
Answer:
We have been granted Fundamental Rights and it is very appropriate to reciprocate by doing our Fundamental Duties with a sense of commitment. Our Fundamental Duties under Article 51A clearly states that we must honour the Constitution, respect the National Flag and National Flag. We must be patriotic and defend our country. We must not damage public properties. We must preserve our precious natural environment. We must pursue education with a scientific mind. We must avoid violence. We must not disrespect women.
By doing our Fundamental Duties we are building our nation. We are making our communities live together in harmony. No matter how diverse we are, we are able to live in unity and spirit of tolerance. In a Democracy, observing our Fundamental Duties is imperative. Our Fundamental Duties shows how much we value our democratic system of government, our nation and our fellow citizens.