Articles 29 and 30 in Part III of the Constitution deal with:

Articles 29 and 30 form the category of Fundamental Rights known as Cultural and Educational Rights.

What these Articles protect, taken together:

• They protect the distinct language, script or culture of any section of citizens.
• They prevent the denial of admission into educational institutions maintained or aided by the State on grounds only of religion, race, caste or language.
• They give all minorities, whether based on religion or language, the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice.
• They prevent the State from discriminating against minority institutions while granting aid.

Who can claim them:

• The protection of language, script and culture is available to any section of citizens, including the majority community, according to the Supreme Court.
• The right to establish institutions is available only to minorities.

Minority in the Constitution:

• The Constitution does not define "minority".
• The Supreme Court has held that minority status is to be decided state by state, based on the population of that state.

Important judgments:

In the St. Stephen's College case (1992), the Court allowed minority institutions to reserve up to 50 per cent of seats for students of their own community.

In the T.M.A. Pai Foundation case, an eleven-judge bench laid down principles on how far the State can regulate minority institutions.

Compensation for property:

If the State acquires the property of a minority educational institution, the amount paid must not restrict or abrogate the right to run that institution. This was added by the 44th Amendment.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Right to Freedom of Religion covers Articles 25 to 28.
• ✗The Right to Constitutional Remedies is Article 32.
• ✗The Right against Exploitation covers Articles 23 and 24.