Page:Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India and Ors.pdf/30

 30. The right provided under Article 19(1) has certain exceptions, which empowers the State to impose reasonable restrictions in appropriate cases. The ingredients of Article 19(2) of the Constitution are that:

"a. The action must be sanctioned by law;

b. The proposed action must be a reasonable restriction;

c. Such restriction must be in furtherance of interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India, the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States, public order, decency or morality or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or incitement to an offence."

31. At the outset, the imposition of restriction is qualified by the term 'reasonable' and is limited to situations such as interests of the sovereignty, integrity, security, friendly relations with the foreign States, public order, decency or morality or contempt of Court, defamation or incitement to an offence. Reasonability of a restriction is used in a qualitative, quantitative and relative sense.

32. It has been argued by the counsel for the Petitioners that the restrictions under Article 19 of the Constitution cannot mean 30