Question 88 from UPSC CSE 2017 - Polity and
Governance

Question

In the context of India, which one of the following is the correct relationship between Rights and Duties?

Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. Rights are correlative with Duties.

Strategy: Focus on the conceptual relationship between rights and duties in political theory and the Indian constitutional context. The term 'correlative' is central: rights entail corresponding duties—one person's right involves another's duty to respect it. Options B, C, and D either misstate or isolate one aspect, ignoring this mutual connection. Thus, option A succinctly expresses the correct constitutional philosophy.

Key Info: In Indian constitutional law and political theory, rights and duties are interdependent and correlative concepts. Fundamental Rights (Articles 12-35 of the Indian Constitution) outline freedoms and privileges guaranteed to citizens, while Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) describe obligations expected from citizens towards the State, society, and fellow citizens. The theory posits that every right implies a corresponding duty: for example, the right to freedom of speech entails the duty not to misuse it or harm others. The Supreme Court of India has affirmed that enforcing rights without responsibility to duties disrupts social balance. The principle is also embedded in international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 29). Personal and social advancement, state stability, and collective harmony all require both rights and duties, not one at the expense of the other. Options asserting the independence of rights or duties are inconsistent with Indian constitutional morality and jurisprudence.

Answer

Option B: Rights are personal and hence independent of society and Duties.

Answer

Option C: Rights, not Duties, are important for the advancement of the personality of the citizen.

Answer

Option D: Duties, not Rights, are important for the stability of the State.