{"id":4378,"date":"2026-11-03T04:35:25","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T04:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/?p=4378"},"modified":"2026-11-04T04:48:47","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T04:48:47","slug":"right-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/right-to-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Right to Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<table style=\"font-size: 16px; font-style: normal;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b>SYLLABUS: Indian Polity<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>General Studies \u2013 : II <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>IN NEWS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Firecrackers: Festivity or fallout?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>QUESTION: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can the constitutional framework reconcile the Right to Life under Article 21 with the Right to Freedom of Religion under Article 25 in the context of environmental pollution caused by firecrackers?(250 words)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>ANSWER: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue of environmental degradation caused by firecrackers brings into direct conflict the <\/span><b>Right to Life and Clean Environment under Article 21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>Right to Freedom of Religion under Article 25<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Resolving this tension requires a constitutional balancing act grounded in judicial precedents and fundamental duties.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Tension: Article 21 vs. Article 25<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Scope of Article 21 (Right to Clean Environment):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Supreme Court (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Subhash Kumar v. State of Bihar, 1991<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) held that Article 21 includes the right to enjoy pollution-free water and air for full enjoyment of life. Severe air pollution (PM2.5\/PM10 spikes) during festive seasons exacerbates respiratory illnesses, directly threatening the right to health and life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Scope of Article 25 (Freedom of Religion):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Article 25 guarantees the freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice, and propagate religion. Proponents argue that traditional celebrations involving firecrackers form an integral part of religious festivities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Judicial Approach and Constitutional Reconciliation<\/b><\/h3>\n<h4><b>1. Internal Limitations of Article 25<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 25(1) is explicitly made <\/span><b>&#8220;subject to public order, morality, and health.&#8221;<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Constitution prioritizes public health over unrestricted religious practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a religious activity adversely affects public health or degrades environmental quality, state regulation or restriction is constitutionally permissible under Article 25(1).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>2. The Essential Religious Practices (ERP) Test<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Judiciary applies the ERP test to determine whether an activity forms the core, essential tenets of a religion.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court has repeatedly held (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arjun Gopal v. Union of India, 2018<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) that bursting firecrackers is <\/span><b>not an essential or integral religious practice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under Article 25, but rather a temporal cultural expression.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consequently, health protections under Article 21 override non-essential religious practices.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>3. Primacy of Article 21 in the Rights Hierarchy<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Right to Life (Article 21)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> occupies a primary position because the enjoyment of all other fundamental rights, including religious freedom under Article 25, depends on the existence of life and basic health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Environmental protection is further reinforced by <\/span><b>Article 48A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Directive Principle directing the State to protect the environment) and <\/span><b>Article 51A(g)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Fundamental Duty of citizens to protect the natural environment).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Sustainable Harmonization: The Policy Way Forward<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Graded and Proportionate Regulation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Complete, blanket bans often encounter compliance resistance. Implementing proportionate measures\u2014such as designated time windows, eco-friendly &#8220;green crackers&#8221; (developed by CSIR-NEERI), and spatial restrictions around sensitive zones (hospitals, schools)\u2014balances environmental protection with cultural sensibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Transition to Green Technology:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Promoting chemical formulation changes (banning barium salts and heavy metals) reduces particulate emission levels while preserving traditional celebrations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Public Education and Civic Duty:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Operationalizing <\/span><b>Article 51A(g)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through community awareness drives shifts public perspective from viewing restrictions as state intrusion to recognizing them as collective health responsibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The constitutional framework reconciles Article 21 and Article 25 through the doctrine of harmonious construction, establishing that religious freedom under Article 25 must yield to public health and the supreme mandate of the Right to Life under Article 21.<\/span><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<blockquote><p><b>PYQ REFERENCE UPSC 2015<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Q. &#8220;Do you agree that the Constitution of India does not accept the principle of strict separation of powers rather it is based on the principle of &#8216;checks and balances&#8217;? Explain.&#8221;<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><b>SOURCE: <a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/212109\/OPS\/G98GNABC5.1+GVBGOGFB7.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hindu epaper &#8211; Firecrackers: Festivity or fallout?<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SYLLABUS: Indian Polity General Studies \u2013 : II Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector\/Services relating to Health, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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