Article 21

Article 21 — Protection of life and personal liberty

No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.

Expansion by judiciary

• Maneka Gandhi — procedure must be just, fair, and reasonable (due-process flavour)
• Expanded to include dignity, livelihood, privacy, clean environment, speedy trial, and more (case-driven list)

Related articles

• Art. 21A — Right to education (6–14 years)
• Art. 22 — Protection against arrest and detention (with exceptions)

PYQ focus

• Maneka Gandhi ratio vs “procedure established by law”
• Privacy as a Fundamental Right (Puttaswamy)
• Art. 21 vs Art. 19 scope (persons / citizens)

Summary

Art. 21 is the widest FR in practice — learn landmark expansions, not only the text.