Article 29 and Cultural Rights: Addressing Contemporary Issues of Identity and Representation

Albert Camus rightly observed that Democracy is not the law of the majority but the protection of the minority. This article aims to comprehensively analyze Article 29 and its contemporary stance while addressing the current issues of identity and representation surrounding minorities in India. It strives to explore the nature and purpose of rights accorded by Article 29. What sort of claim does the provision vest in the citizens? Is the right conferred therein subject to alienation? What criteria are prescribed for determining a minority presently? While traversing the various dynamics of this legislative creation, we shall also investigate its contemporary relevance and implications. The article also accounts for the concerns that minorities in India are facing currently. From Hate and prejudice prevalent against minorities to controversies of illegal immigrants, specific challenges confront the minorities in India contemporarily, all of which the article duly takes into consideration. The article features a panoptic deconstruction of Article 29 of the Constitution of India while allowing for contemporary evaluation of the same coupled with an overview of pressing issues afflicting minorities in India today.