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Constitution of India · Part III: Fundamental Rights · Cultural and Educational Rights

Article 29: Protection of interests of minorities

In plain words

Any section of citizens with a distinct language, script or culture has the right to conserve it. No citizen can be denied admission to a State-maintained or State-aided educational institution only on grounds of religion, race, caste or language.

A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.

Read the in-depth explanation, with key Supreme Court rulings ↓

Official text

(1) Any section of the citizens residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same.

(2) No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the official text of the Constitution of India. As amended up to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023. Text as on 10 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.

Understanding this article

Article 29 protects the interests of minorities. Clause (1) gives any section of citizens with a distinct language, script or culture the right to conserve it. Clause (2) forbids denying admission to any State-maintained or State-aided educational institution only on grounds of religion, race, caste or language.

Not only minorities

Clause (1) protects any section of citizens with a distinct language, script or culture, not just minorities in the narrow sense, though it is placed under the heading of minority rights.

Clause (2) and aided minority institutions

An aided minority institution cannot refuse admission to students only because of religion, race, caste or language. This limits Article 30 for aided institutions, which must admit a reasonable share of non-minority students.

Minority is judged State-wise

Whether a group is a religious or linguistic minority is determined with reference to the State, not the country as a whole.

Key Supreme Court rulings

  • P.A. Inamdar v. State of Maharashtra 2005 INSC 358

    Minority status is determinable with reference to a State, not the population of the country as a whole; Articles 29 and 30 confer protection on minorities rather than an abstract right.

Common mistakes

  • Determining minority status by national population.
  • Thinking aided minority institutions can admit only their own community.

Read with: Article 30 Constitution, Article 15 Constitution

Prepared with AI assistance as a study aid. Every ruling listed was checked against the Supreme Court's own judgments on this site, and quoted words appear in those judgments; linked names open the full judgment. Read the judgments themselves before relying on them. Not legal advice.

Supreme Court judgments citing the article 29