Democracy is a method of leading a country. The most general explanation of democracy is ruling by the people. This implies, the people approve to the government operating the nation. Citizens are given an opening to select, via their right to vote. They do this in standard, on the house and just elections. Nevertheless, democracy doesn't conclude there. Democracy also implies that the people who have been elected are liable in multiple ways to the people who voted for them and elected them. They have to function and carry on the pledges they made during elections and they have to be transparent in their duties and actions. Even though gradations are applicable to the world's range of democracies, some principles and strategies differentiate democratic government from other types of government.
Principles of Democracy Democratic principles are thoughts which most citizens believe are vital for a democracy. The most significant principles of democracy are as follows:
Public Involvement Citizens have a right and a responsibility to play a part in government and in social community. Citizens' contribution incorporates contesting for elections, voting for elections, becoming educated and aware, organizing and attending public meetings, being a part of civil and/or political associations, paying taxes, disputing and imploring.
Egalitarianism All citizens should be deemed uniform ly and devoid of prejudice and be given equivalent chances and prospects.
Open-Mindedness Even as a large amount of people reign in a democracy, the rights of minority sectors are also sheltered. Everybody should be permitted to communicate their views and join the political, holy or civil organizations of their preference. Liability Government must be liable to the citizens for its proceedings, together with the laws that are approved and how these laws are executed.
Lucidity Government must be transparent to the citizens about its functions. It must permit the public to give view points before laws are conceded.
Customary, Liberated and Justified Elections Elections must take place in a liberated and fair way, devoid of any pressure, threats, dishonesty and intimidation to the citizens before or during the election. Elections should also be held on a regular basis, every few years.
Accepting the Outcome of Elections When a political party is defeated in election, its followers must agree with this outcome and not use hostility to modify the results.
Financial Liberty Citizens in a democracy should be permitted to have some type of personal possession of property and business and they should be permitted to select their own category of work and be a part of labor unions. The government should not completely have power over the economy of a country.
Managing Exploitation of Authority There should be modes to put off government authorities from misusing their control. The courts should be autonomous and they should have the authority to:
Function against government representatives or bodies that get involved in an illegitimate or fraudulent act
Permit for civic contribution and elections
Keep a check on police misuse of authority
Human rights The human rights of persons and groups should be guarded, if possible through a Bill of Rights. A bill of rights consists of a listing of rights and liberties that are assured to all citizens in the nation. All rights and liberties are sheltered if they are harmed.
Multiple Party Structures Over one political party must be permitted to take part in elections and play a task in administration.
Rule of Law The rule of law implies that nobody and no authority is higher than the law, together with the chief of the country. Everybody must comply with the law and be held answerable if they break the law. The law must also be evenly, reasonably and constantly imposed. While voting we give the government an authorization to go by and implement laws on our behalf. In formulating laws the government has to pursue what is mentioned in the constitution and it uses the courts additionally just as the police and military to impose the laws. If the government turns out of favor or doesn't do what it assured to do then citizens of a nation can vote for another party in the subsequent election and vote the reigning government out of supremacy. This is fundamentally how democracy functions and why it is effectual as a structure of government. DEMOCRATIC LIVING
Democratic living requires that the principles of equality, freedom, pluralism and human dignity permeate and invigorate our families, our communities, our associations, our workplaces, our educational institutions, our government offices, and all other aspects of our social and spiritual being. More concretely, it means that individuals and communities are able to resist and renegotiate oppressive relations of power and to take control over decisions that fundamentally affect their lives.
Right to Equality The Right to Equality is one of the chief guarantees of the Constitution. It is embodied in Articles 14 –16, which collectively encompass the general principles of equality before law and non-discrimination, Articles 17 –18 which collectively further the philosophy of social equality.
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and
Article 14 guarantees equality
before law as well as equal protection of the law to all persons within the territory of India.
[note 5]
This
includes the equal subjection of all persons to the authority of law, as well as equal treatment of persons in similar circumstances.
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The latter permits the State to classify persons for legitimate purposes,
provided there is a reasonable basis for the same, meaning that the classification is required to be nonarbitrary, based on a method of intelligible differentiation among those sought to be classified, as well as have a rational relation to the object sought to be achieved by the classification . [edit]Right
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to Freedom
The Right to Freedom is covered in Articles 19 –22, with the view of guaranteeing individual rights that were considered vital by the framers of the Constitution, and these Articles also include certain restrictions that may be imposed by the State on individual liberty under specified conditions. Article 19 guarantees six freedoms in the nature of civil rights, which are available only to citizens of India.
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These
include the freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of association without arms, freedom of movement throughout the territory of India,freedom to reside and settle in any part of the country of India and the freedom to practice any profession. All these freedoms are subject to reasonable restrictions that may imposed on them by the State, listed under Article 19 itself. The grounds for imposing these restrictions vary according to the freedom sought to be restricted, and include national security, public order, decency and morality, contempt of court, incitement to offences, and defamation. The State is also empowered, in the interests of the general public to nationalise any trade, industry or service to the exclusion of the citizens. [edit]Right
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against Exploitation
The Right against Exploitation, contained in Articles 23 –24, lays down certain provisions to prevent exploitation of the weaker sections of the society by individuals or the State .
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Article 23 provides
prohibits human trafficking, making it an offence punishable by law, and also prohibits forced labour or any act of compelling a person to work without wages where he was legally entitled not to work or to receive remuneration for it. However, it permits the State to impose compulsory service for public purposes, including conscription and community service.
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The Bonded Labour system (Abolition) Act,
1976, has been enacted by Parliament to give effect to this Article.
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Article 24 prohibits the em ployment
of children below the age of 14 years in factories, mines and other hazardous jobs. Parliament has enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, providing regulations for the abolition of, and penalties for employing, child labour, as well as provisions for rehabilitation of former child [61]
labourers.
[edit]Right
to Freedom of Religion
See also: Secularism in India The Right to Freedom of Religion, covered in Articles 25 –28, provides religious freedom to all citizens and ensures a secular State in India. According to the Constitution, there is no official State religion, and the State is required to treat all religions impartially and neutrally.
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Article 25 guarantees all persons
thefreedom of conscience and the right to preach, practice and propagate any religion of their choice.
This right is, however, subject to public order, morality and health, and the power of the State to take measures for social welfare and reform.
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without their (or their guardian's) consent. [edit]Cultural
to receive religious instruction or attend religious worship
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and Educational Rights
The Cultural and Educational rights, given in Articles 29 and 30, are measures to protect the rights of cultural, linguistic and religious minorities, by enabling them to conserve their heritage and protecting them against discrimination.
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Article 29 grants any section of citizens having a distinct language, script
culture of its own, the right to conserve and develop the same, and thus safeguards the rights of [67][68]
minorities by preventing the State from imposing any external culture on them.
It also prohibits
discrimination against any citizen for admission into any educational institutions maintained or aided by the State, on the grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them. However, this is subject to reservation of a reasonable number of seats by the State for socially and educationally backward classes, as well as reservation of up to 50 percent of seats in any educational institution run by a minority community for citizens belonging to that community. [edit]Right
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to constitutional remedies
Right to constitutional remedies empowers the citizens to move a court of law in case of any denial of the fundamental rights. For instance, in case of imprisonment, the citizen can ask the court to see if it is according to the provisions of the law of the country. If the court finds that it is not, the person will have to be freed. This procedure of asking the courts to preserve or safeguard the citizens' fundamental rights can be done in various ways. The courts can issue various kinds of writs . These writs are habeas
corpus , mandamus , prohibition , quo warranto and certiorari . When a national or state emergency is [72] declared, this right is suspended by the central government. Secularism IT is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions andreligious dignitaries. In one sense, secularism may assert the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, and the right to freedom from governmental imposition of religion upon the people within a state that is neutral on matters of belief. (See also separation of church and state and Laïcité.) In another sense, it refers to the view that human activities and decisions, [1] especially political ones, should be unbiased by religious influence. (See also public reason.) Some scholars are now arguing that the very idea of secularism will change Concept of socialist republic A socialist state (or socialist republic) generally refers to any state that is constitutionally dedicated to the construction of a socialist society. It is closely related to the political strategy of "state socialism", a set of ideologies that believe a socialist economy can be established through government policies. Alternatively, the term Worker's state is used to distinguish between a state where the working-class controls the machinery of government but has not yet established a socialist economy. Both of these concepts are distinguished from a socialist government, which generally refers to a liberal democratic state presided over by an elected majority socialist party that is not, and does not necessarily have to be, pursuing the development of socialism, and where the state apparatus is not constitutionally bound to the construction of a socialist system.
