15. Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste,
sex or place of birth.—
(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen
on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.
(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of
birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or
condition with regard to—
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1. Ins. by the Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971, s. 2 (w.e.f. 5-11-1971).
6
7 THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
(Part III.—Fundamental Rights)
(a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public
entertainment; or
(b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of
public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated
to the use of the general public.
(3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any
special provision for women and children.
1
[
(4) Nothing in this article or in clause
(2) of article 29 shall prevent the
State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially
and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and
the Scheduled Tribes.]
2
[
(5) Nothing in this article or in sub-clause
(g) of clause
(1) of article 19
shall prevent the State from making any special provision, by law, for the
advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or
for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in so far as such special
provisions relate to their admission to educational institutions including private
educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other than the
minority educational institutions referred to in clause
(1) of article 30.]
3
[
(6) Nothing in this article or sub-clause
(g) of clause
(1) of article 19 or
clause
(2) of article 29 shall prevent the State from making,—
(a) any special provision for the advancement of any
economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes
mentioned in clauses
(4) and
(5); and
(b) any special provision for the advancement of any
economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes
mentioned in clauses
(4) and
(5) in so far as such special provisions
relate to their admission to educational institutions including private
educational institutions, whether aided or unaided by the State, other
than the minority educational institutions referred to in clause
(1) of
article 30, which in the case of reservation would be in addition to the
existing reservations and subject to a maximum of ten per cent. of the
total seats in each category.
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1. Added by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951, s. 2 (w.e.f. 18-6-1951).
2. Ins. by the Constitution (Ninety-third Amendment) Act, 2005, s. 2 (w.e.f. 20-1-2006).
3. Ins. by the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019, s. 2
(w.e.f. 14-1-2019).
8 THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
(Part III.—Fundamental Rights)
Explanation.—For the purposes of this article and article 16,
"economically weaker sections" shall be such as may be notified by the State
from time to time on the basis of family income and other indicators of
economic disadvantage.]
