Equality Before Law under Article 14

Article 14 guarantees every person equality before the law and equal protection of the laws within India. It requires the State to avoid arbitrary discrimination, treat similarly situated persons alike, and permit different treatment only when a constitutionally relevant distinction justifies it.

Two dimensions of equality

The guarantee combines a negative restraint on privilege with a positive duty of equal treatment.

• Equality before law means the absence of special legal privilege and the equal subjection of all persons to ordinary law.
• Equal protection of the laws requires equal treatment of persons placed in similar circumstances; persons differently situated may be treated differently.
• Article 14 protects any person, including citizens, non-citizens and juristic persons, within the territory of India.

Reasonable classification

Article 14 prohibits class legislation, but not legislation based on a reasonable classification. A classification is constitutionally valid only when it satisfies both parts of the established test.

• The classification must rest on an intelligible differentia that distinguishes those included from those excluded.
• That differentia must have a rational nexus with the object sought to be achieved by the law.
• The classification cannot be artificial, evasive or unrelated to the law's purpose.

Protection against arbitrariness and unequal disadvantage

Equality is not confined to formal classification. In E. P. Royappa v. State of Tamil Nadu (1974), the Supreme Court treated equality and arbitrariness as opposites; arbitrary State action may therefore violate Article 14.

• The guarantee applies to legislative and executive action attributable to the State under Article 12.
• Equality does not always require identical treatment; relevant social or material differences may justify special measures for disadvantaged groups.
• Constitutionally recognised immunities and privileges, such as those under Article 361, operate as limited exceptions to ordinary legal equality.

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