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Difficulty: HardFundamental Rights, Directive Principles, and Fundamental Duties

Consider the constitutional mechanisms governing the enforcement, operational limits, and judicial interpretation of Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles of State Policy in India. Which of the following statements are correct?

  1. Article 358 automatically suspends the rights guaranteed under Article 19 only when a National Emergency is proclaimed on grounds of war or external aggression, and not internal armed rebellion.Answer
  2. B
    Article 359 operates automatically to extinguish all Fundamental Rights, including the rights under Articles 20 and 21, immediately upon any Presidential Proclamation of Emergency.
  3. Article 37 explicitly mandates that Directive Principles of State Policy are non-justiciable in courts, yet imposes a moral and legal obligation on the State by declaring them fundamental in national governance.Answer
  4. D
    The writ jurisdiction of High Courts under Article 226 is constitutionally narrower than that of the Supreme Court under Article 32, as it is strictly limited to enforcing Part III Fundamental Rights.

Answer

The correct statements are that Article 358 automatically suspends Article 19 rights solely during an external emergency, and that Article 37 establishes Directive Principles as non-justiciable while declaring them fundamental in country governance.
The statement regarding Article 358 is accurate because the 44th Amendment restricted automatic suspension of Article 19 rights exclusively to emergencies declared due to war or external aggression. The statement regarding Article 37 is accurate because it correctly captures the dual nature of DPSPs: non-enforceable by courts yet fundamental to state governance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze Emergency Provisions regarding Fundamental Rights (Articles 358 and 359).
Confirm that Article 358 applies automatically only to Article 19 rights during external emergency. Verify that Article 359 requires a specific Presidential Order and explicitly excludes Articles 20 and 21 from suspension.
The 44th Constitutional Amendment Act (1978) restricted emergency powers to prevent misuse of suspension provisions.
2
Evaluate the non-justiciable character and constitutional weight of Directive Principles (Article 37).
Confirm that Article 37 explicitly bars court enforcement while affirming their fundamental status in governance.
Directive Principles guide legislative policies without creating directly actionable rights in courts of law.
3
Compare Supreme Court (Article 32) and High Court (Article 226) writ jurisdictions.
Determine that High Court writ jurisdiction covers both Fundamental Rights and ordinary legal rights ('for any other purpose'), making its scope wider than Article 32.
Article 32 is limited to Part III enforcement because it is itself a Fundamental Right, whereas Article 226 grants broader remedies for legal infractions.

Key Concept

Operational differences between Article 358 and 359 during National Emergency, enforceability of Directive Principles under Article 37, and comparative writ jurisdiction under Articles 32 and 226.
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Topics

Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, and Fundamental Duties

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