Question

The fundamental right to form co-operative societies is provided under:

• A. Article 19 (1) (C)
• B. Article 21
• C. Article 14
• D. Article 51 A (j)

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

The Correct Option is (A):Article 19 (1) (C)

Answer 2

The question asks which provision of the Constitution specifically protects a citizen's right to form co-operative societies as a fundamental right.

1. Article 19 (1) (C): Article 19(1)(c) originally protected the right to form associations or unions. The Constitution (Ninety-seventh Amendment) Act, 2011 expanded this clause to also cover co-operative societies, so it now reads as the right to form associations or unions or co-operative societies, subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(4). This is the specific fundamental right the question is asking about.
2. Article 21: protects the right to life and personal liberty, a broad provision that has been read to include many unenumerated rights through judicial interpretation, but it is not the specific textual source for the right to form co-operative societies.
3. Article 14: guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws, a general non-discrimination guarantee that applies across all state action, but it does not itself create a specific right to form any kind of association or society.
4. Article 51 A (j): is a Fundamental Duty, not a right, requiring every citizen to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity. Duties under Article 51A are moral obligations on citizens and are not enforceable rights, and this particular one has nothing to do with co-operative societies.

Only Article 19(1)(c), as amended in 2011, expressly lists co-operative societies alongside associations and unions as something citizens have a fundamental right to form.

So the correct answer is Article 19 (1) (C).