Class 9 Social Science -Democratic Rights Notes

The Indian constitution is meticulously devised by many great minds and consists of a variety of concepts like Fundamental Right and Duties which one must be familiar with being a citizen of the country. The 5th Chapter of class 9th, Democratic Rights, aims to enlighten the students with the same. Learning the insights of the constitution that are thoroughly explained in the chapter will eventually help the students in the long run, especially for those willing to crack the UPSC exams. So, let’s get started with class 9 Democratic Rights notes. 

What are Democratic Rights?

Democratic rights are basic liberties afforded to citizens in a democratic society. They include liberties such as the right to vote, express oneself, assemble peacefully, and obtain information. Individual participation and representation in government are ensured by these rights, which promote equality, justice, and the rule of law. Protecting democratic rights is critical for maintaining a functioning and equitable democratic system, encouraging civic engagement, and protecting human dignity.

Democratic Rights of India

Democratic rights are some of the rights that the citizens enjoy in a democratic setting. These rights prohibit the elected government from committing excesses towards the common public. The importance of democratic rights lies in the fact every citizen in the country has equal access to them regardless of any grounds. The idea of a flourishing democracy cites an environment where adequate democratic rights to its citizens with proper protection of such rights are entitled to every person. Once the citizens of a nation are satisfied with the political environment, they will keep their focus on productive activities and will live a content life.

The Idea of Democracy 

A system of governance where the citizens have the right to elect those in power is called a democracy. The idea of such a setting is not new and was first introduced in ancient Greece during the political reforms of Athens. The system of electing rulers through the casting of votes is practised in democratic nations with procedures suitable to their populations. Votes can be either cast through ballot paper or Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), both of which are highly effective methods.

Rights in a Democracy

Rights can be best defined as the claims that a citizen of a democratic state has over his fellow citizen, the government and the society that he/she lives in. These rights protect the individual from all the parties involved in a democratic state. Another important aspect of rights is that it gives equal status to minorities and saves them from the majority if they turn oppressive; to know that one has rights that he/she can depend upon for justice provides a sense of security and ease to citizens. Before we go on to explore the what are our democratic rights of a citizen of India, let us first consider a situation in our class 9 Democratic Rights notes wherein there are no rights or power given to the common people. 

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A Life Without Rights

Throughout modern times, we have witnessed the abuse of power against common people in both systematic and unsystematic ways. The Conduct of US forces in the aftermath of 9/11 when they detained around 600 people from around the globe, throwing them in Guantanamo Bay is an example of infringement of democratic rights. Apart from the aforementioned situation, the ethnic massacre in Kosovo and the denial of democratic rights by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to its own citizens is a prominent examples. Every day, we hear news from around the globe about such cases where common people are subjected to injustice and deprived of their democratic rights. Such cases highlight the importance of democratic rights in life for a citizen. 

We hope that through the aforementioned examples in our class 9 democratic rights notes, you now understand the vital presence of democratic rights in the life of a citizen.  

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Let us now proceed in our class 9 democratic rights notes and understand what are the privileges and perks which one can avail of through the below-mentioned democratic rights.

Democratic Rights in the Indian Constitution

India is the largest democracy among all the democratic nations, and the sheer diversification of India makes it a unique democratic nation too. The rights of the people are enshrined in the constitution of India and some of them being fundamental in nature are known as Fundamental Rights. The six fundamental rights mentioned in the Constitution are as follows:

The fundamental rights given to the citizens of India are enforceable. If there is a violation of fundamental rights, a citizen can directly approach the supreme court of India or the High Court of the concerned state. Fundamental rights hold a unique position in a democracy and keep its spirit alive.

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Expanding the Scope of Rights

In a democracy, the scope of rights should be ever-evolving with the changes in the socio-economic construct. In India, the supreme court has always acted as the catalyst for the expansion of rights through its landmark judgements.

Fundamental rights are the source of the right to information, the right to freedom of the press, and the right to education, through the expansion of its domain. School education is now also a right for Indian citizens, with the government taking the responsibility of free and compulsory education to all children up to the age of 14 years. The Right to Information Act was also enacted by the parliament under fundamental rights to give citizens access to information they seek from the government.

Democratic Rights Essay Questions

• Manoj went to a college to apply for admission into an MBA course. The clerk refused to take his application and said “You, the son of a sweeper, wish to be a manager! Has anyone done this job in your community? Go to the municipality office and apply for a sweeper’s position”. Which of Manoj’s fundamental rights are being violated in this instance? Spell these out in a letter from Manoj to the district collector. 
• When Madhurima went to the property registration office, the Registrar told her, “You can’t write your name as Madhurima Banerjee d/o A. K. Banerjee. You are married, so you must give your husband’s name. Your husband’s surname is Rao. So your name should be changed to Madhurima Rao.” She did not agree. She said, “If my husband’s name has not changed after marriage, why should mine?” In your opinion who is right in this dispute? And why? 
• Thousands of tribals and other forest dwellers gathered at Piparia in Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh to protest against their proposed displacement from the Satpura National Park, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary. They argue that such a displacement is an attack on their livelihood and beliefs. The government claims that their displacement is essential for the development of the area and for the protection of wildlife. Write a petition on behalf of the forest dwellers to the NHRC, a response from the government and a report of the NHRC on this matter. 
• Draw a web interconnecting different rights discussed in this chapter. For example, right to freedom of movement is connected to the freedom of occupation. One reason for this is that freedom of movement enables a person to go to the place of work within one’s village or city or to another village, city or state. Similarly, this right can be used for pilgrimage, connected with the freedom to follow one’s religion. Draw a circle for each right and mark arrows that show the connection between or among different rights. For each arrow, give an example that shows the linkage. In every chapter, we have done an exercise

NCERT Democratic Rights Class 9 PDF

Thus, we hope that after these class 9 Democratic Rights notes, you are familiar with an important chapter as well as a key feature of the Indian Constitution. Get in touch with Leverage Edu experts, who will guide you about the vital decision of stream selection as well as the perks of establishing a career abroad. 

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