Constitutional text: The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
Article 14 and Article 15 of the Constitution of India: Right to Equality and Prohibition of Discrimination
Articles 14 and 15 form part of the Right to Equality in Part III of the Constitution of India. Article 14 protects every person through equality before law and equal protection of the laws. Article 15 prohibits specified forms of discrimination against citizens while also permitting constitutionally authorised special provisions for certain classes.
Updated: 18 September 2026
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Article 14 - Equality before law
Article 14 is titled "Equality before law". It provides that the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
Meaning and scope of Article 14
Article 14 contains two connected guarantees: equality before law and equal protection of the laws. The protection extends to every "person", not only to citizens. In constitutional adjudication, Article 14 is also central to review of State action alleged to be arbitrary or based on an impermissible classification.
In simple terms: similarly situated persons should ordinarily be treated alike, while a legal classification may distinguish between groups when the distinction has a constitutionally permissible basis and a rational connection with the object of the law.
Article 15 - Prohibition of discrimination
Article 15 is titled "Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth". Clauses (1) and (2) prohibit specified discrimination, while clauses (3) to (6) preserve the State's power to make particular special provisions recognised by the Constitution.
Article 15 clauses (1) to (6) explained
Article 15(1): discrimination by the State
The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.
Article 15(2): access to specified public places and facilities
No citizen may, on the listed grounds only, be subjected to a disability, liability, restriction or condition regarding access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment, or the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly from State funds or dedicated to public use.
Article 15(3): women and children
Article 15 does not prevent the State from making special provisions for women and children.
Article 15(4): socially and educationally backward classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Article 15 permits special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. This clause operates notwithstanding Article 15 generally and clause (2) of Article 29.
Article 15(5): admission to educational institutions
Article 15(5) permits the State, by law, to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in relation to admission to educational institutions, including private aided or unaided institutions. Minority educational institutions referred to in Article 30(1) are excluded from this clause.
Article 15(6): economically weaker sections
Article 15(6), inserted by the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019, permits special provisions for the advancement of economically weaker sections of citizens other than the classes mentioned in clauses (4) and (5). In relation to admission to educational institutions, the clause permits reservation in addition to existing reservations, subject to the constitutional limit stated in the clause, and excludes minority educational institutions referred to in Article 30(1).
Article 14 and Article 15: key distinction
Article 14 is a general equality guarantee available to every person against the State. Article 15 deals specifically with discrimination against citizens on the enumerated grounds and also contains express enabling provisions for constitutionally recognised affirmative measures. The two provisions are related but have different wording, coverage and functions.
Official constitutional sources
For the authoritative constitutional text and amendments, refer to the official Government of India sources below:
Legislative Department - Constitution of India
India Code - Government of India legal database
Legal note: This page is an informational summary. Where exact statutory or constitutional wording is required, consult the current official text and applicable judicial decisions.