Prohibition of Discrimination
(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public. (3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children. (4) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.
Article 15 specifically prohibits discrimination based on religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth. It ensures equal access to public spaces and facilities. Importantly, clauses (3) and (4) allow the state to make special provisions for women, children, and backward classes — recognizing that substantive equality sometimes requires different treatment for disadvantaged groups.
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan
1951The Supreme Court struck down a government order that provided communal reservation in educational institutions, leading to the First Constitutional Amendment.
Impact: Resulted in the addition of Article 15(4) allowing the state to make special provisions for backward classes.