Who has the Duty to Uphold the Rights under Article 19?

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The duty to uphold Article 19 rights of citizens lies with the State. If a state action causes breach of any of these rights, it can be challenged in an appropriate court of law. You can read more about how to challenge such breaches in our explainer on Constitutional Remedies.

Broadly, State includes not only the Legislature (which enacts law), Executive (which formulates policy and is responsible for its execution), and the Judiciary (which adjudicates disputes), but also includes local bodies (such as Panchayats and Municipal authorities) as well as other authorities (which includes agencies or instrumentalities of the State or bodies or institutions which discharge public functions of the government).¹

Ramana Dayaram Shetty v. International Airport Authority of India, (1979) 3 SCC 489 [↩]

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