Year 2026
Constitution of India
Part III — Fundamental Rights
Article21
Article 21 — Protection of life and personal liberty
No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
In plain language
The State cannot take your life or your personal freedom unless it follows a procedure that is fair, not merely written down. Courts have used this article to protect dignity, privacy, livelihood, and humane treatment — far beyond the original one-line text.
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
- K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) — Privacy declared a fundamental right under Article 21
- Selvi v. State of Karnataka (2010) — Involuntary narco-analysis and polygraph tests violate the right against self-incrimination
- D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997) — Laid down arrest and custody safeguards to protect life and personal liberty
- Olga Tellis v. Bombay Municipal Corporation (1985) — Right to livelihood recognised as part of Article 21
- Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978) — Procedure under Article 21 must be fair, just and reasonable
Current official-edition wording. Historical reconstruction is not claimed for this article.
Judicial interpretation
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978). The Supreme Court held that procedure under Article 21 must be fair, just, and reasonable — not merely any procedure enacted by Parliament.
Exam preparation
High
Editorial signal
Case law
7
Linked judgments
Linked topics
5
Articles + cases