Fundamental Rights (Articles 12 to 35): the one-page map

Six groups of rights in Part III, the articles you must know by number, and the traps PSC papers set around them.

Part III of the Constitution (Articles 12 to 35) lists the Fundamental Rights. They are justiciable: if one is violated, you can go to court. That is the main difference from the Directive Principles in Part IV, which courts cannot enforce.

The six groups

Group	Articles	What to remember
Right to Equality	14 to 18	Equality before law (14), no discrimination (15), equal opportunity in public jobs (16), untouchability abolished (17), titles abolished (18)
Right to Freedom	19 to 22	Six freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession (19); protection in conviction (20); life and personal liberty (21); education for 6 to 14 years (21A); protection against arrest (22)
Right against Exploitation	23 and 24	No trafficking or forced labour (23); no child under 14 in factories, mines or hazardous work (24)
Freedom of Religion	25 to 28	Conscience and practice (25), manage religious affairs (26), no tax for a religion (27), religious instruction in schools (28)
Cultural and Educational Rights	29 and 30	Protect language, script and culture (29); minorities may run their own institutions (30)
Right to Constitutional Remedies	32	Go straight to the Supreme Court; it can issue writs

Article 12 defines "the State", and Article 13 makes any law that breaks a Fundamental Right void.

The traps examiners set

Right to Property was removed as a Fundamental Right by the 44th Amendment (1978). It is now a legal right under Article 300A.
Article 21A (education) was added by the 86th Amendment (2002).
Some rights are for citizens only: Articles 15, 16, 19, 29 and 30. The rest also protect foreigners.
During an Emergency, Articles 20 and 21 cannot be suspended (44th Amendment).
The five writs under Article 32 are habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari and quo warranto. High Courts issue writs under Article 226, which is wider because it also covers legal rights.

Memory hook: E-F-E-R-C-C (Equality, Freedom, Exploitation, Religion, Culture, Constitutional remedies), in article order.