UPSC Prelims 2019 · GS Paper I
Question 56: Polity and Governance
Which Article of the Constitution of India safeguards one’s right to marry the person of one’s choice?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
Article 21, the right to life and personal liberty, has been read by the Supreme Court to include the right to marry a person of one's choice, as held in Shafin Jahan v. Asokan K. M. (the Hadiya case, 2018), which linked it to dignity and autonomy. Article 19 gives the freedoms such as speech, Article 25 freedom of religion, and Article 29 protects the cultural and educational interests of minorities and sections of citizens.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Article 19 gives freedoms such as speech and association.
- (b) Correct: Article 21 covers the right to marry a person of one's choice.
- (c) Article 25 is about freedom of religion.
- (d) Article 29 protects minority culture, language and script.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2019, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.