No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex
Quick Summary (TL;DR)
Article 325 (No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex): Protects free and fair democratic elections, common non-discriminatory voter rolls, and universal adult franchise under Part XV.
In Simple Citizen Words
Article 325 ('No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex') in Part XV (Elections) protects the democratic foundation of the Republic. It governs the independent Election Commission of India (Art 324), prohibits separate or discriminatory electoral rolls based on religion, race, caste, or sex (Art 325), guarantees universal adult suffrage at age 18+ (Art 326), empowers electoral legislation (Arts 327–328), and channels election disputes through formal election petitions (Art 329). Specifically: There shall be one general electoral roll for every territorial constituency for election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any...
Key Constitutional Provisions
Constitutional Mandate (Art. 325): Directly codifies the legal rule for 'No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex' under Part XV
Sets a direct, self-contained constitutional command binding on public authorities across India
Requires transparent Parliamentary law-making and democratic accountability rather than arbitrary executive action
Exceptions & Reasonable Restrictions
Free and fair elections form part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution (Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain, 1975 & PUCL v. Union of India, 2013).
Why This Matters in Daily Life
Guarantees that every citizen's vote carries equal constitutional weight ('One Person, One Vote, One Value') regardless of wealth, caste, gender, or religion.
Want deeper legal & historical context? Explore the official Bare Act or Supreme Court Precedents & CAD Debates: