---
title: "Fundamental Rights — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "Fundamental Rights are basic freedoms in the Indian Constitution, enforceable against the State. Essential for civil services and legal studies."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/fundamental-rights"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Fundamental Rights are justiciable basic freedoms guaranteed to individuals under Part III (Articles 12–35) of the Indian Constitution, enforceable against the State.
- Which Fundamental Rights are available only to citizens and not to all persons?
- Can Fundamental Rights be suspended during a National Emergency?
- What did Kesavananda Bharati (1973) establish regarding Fundamental Rights?
- How was the Right to Property altered after 1978?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Fundamental Rights are justiciable basic freedoms guaranteed to individuals under Part III (Articles 12–35) of the Indian Constitution, enforceable against the State.

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Example

In K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017), a nine-judge Supreme Court bench unanimously held the right to privacy to be a Fundamental Right intrinsic to Article 21, overruling the earlier M.P. Sharma (1954) and Kharak Singh (1962) precedents.

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