Year 2026
Constitution of India
Part III — Fundamental Rights
Article14
Article 14 — Equality before law
The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
In plain language
The State must treat people equally before the law. It can classify groups for a genuine public reason, but it cannot be arbitrary or personal in who gets the benefit of the law.
Landmark cases
- Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Aadhaar) (2018) — Proportionality review of Aadhaar against privacy
- Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India (2018) — Decriminalised consensual same-sex relations as a matter of equality and dignity
- Indian Young Lawyers Assn. v. State of Kerala (2018) — Exclusion of women from Sabarimala failed the test of equality and freedom of religion
- K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) — Privacy declared a fundamental right under Article 21
- Indra Sawhney v. Union of India (1992) — Reservations and the 50 percent ceiling under equality
- Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) — Procedure under Article 21 must be fair, just and reasonable
- E.P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu (1974) — Equality is a dynamic concept; arbitrariness violates Article 14
Current official-edition wording. Historical reconstruction is not claimed for this article.
Judicial interpretation
E.P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu (1974). The Supreme Court held that equality is a dynamic concept. State action that is arbitrary is, by itself, a violation of Article 14.
Exam preparation
High
Editorial signal
Case law
7
Linked judgments
Linked topics
3
Articles + cases