Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Under Article 1

Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Under Article 14 of the Constitution of India, the State is bound to impart equal treatment to dissimilarly situated persons.
2. The State can justify an unequal treatment between two similarly situated persons, if there is such a precedence of unequal treatment.

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1 only

2 only

Both 1 and 2

Neither 1 nor 2

Answer is Right!

Answer is Wrong!

This question was previously asked in

UPSC CBI DSP LDCE – 2023

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Statement 1 is incorrect. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. The principle of equal protection of laws implies that like should be treated alike and unlike should be treated differently. It does not mandate equal treatment to dissimilarly situated persons; rather, it allows for reasonable classification and differentiation between groups based on intelligible differentia and a rational nexus with the object sought to be achieved.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The State cannot justify unequal treatment between two similarly situated persons merely based on precedence. Article 14 prohibits arbitrary and discriminatory treatment. Any differentiation must be based on a reasonable classification that distinguishes persons into groups and applies a law equally to all within a group. Precedence alone is not a constitutional justification for violating the principle of equality among similarly situated individuals.

Article 14 embodies the rule of law and prohibits discrimination. It permits ‘reasonable classification’, which means treating dissimilarly situated persons differently, but this differentiation must be non-arbitrary and based on valid grounds. Treating similarly situated persons unequally is a violation of Article 14 unless a valid classification justifies the distinction, which is not the same as relying on mere precedence.

The Supreme Court has interpreted Article 14 widely to include the concept of reasonableness and non-arbitrariness. Any state action must satisfy the test of reasonableness to be in conformity with Article 14.

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