FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION

 

An association or a group will not be able to function efficiently if there is lack of unity and support. It is completely an individual’s prerogative and it is left upto his discretion when it comes to joining and becoming a member of a group or an organization. They also facilitate and make way for give and take of different ideas and convictions. They encourage free flow of opinions in a systematic and a well-organized manner. They inculcate the feeling of confidence among the people engaged in it and give a chance to them to express their own perspective.

 

Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution of India guarantees to all its citizens the right “to form associations and unions” Under clause (4) of Article 19, the state may by law impose reasonable restrictions on this right in the interest of public order or morality or the sovereignty and integrity of India. The right to form associations or unions has a very wide and varied scope including all sorts of associations viz., political parties, clubs, societies, companies, organizations, entrepreneurships, trade unions etc.

 

The freedom of Association has had its share of problems in independent India with the freedom reaching to its all time low during the time of emergency. The freedom of association has been strangled many a times and in times of such crisis, the judiciary of the country has ensured that the freedoms enshrined in the constitution are provided to the country.