Swaran Singh Committee

The Sardar Swaran Singh Committee was set up by the Congress Party in 1976 to suggest ideas about fundamental duties and tackle the ongoing situation of National Emergency which had imbalanced the entire country by disrupting the peace and security of the nation. It was formed with the thought to deal with the ongoing havoc in the country and make people realize some of their basic fundamental duties.

This article describes the significance of the Swaran Singh committee, along with its invention, advantages, and benefits.

What is the Swaran Singh Committee?

Swaran Singh Committee is a committee that was formed during the time of national emergency under the rule of Indira Gandhi by the Congress party. This committee consisted of 12 members who were assigned the duty to forge some methods or laws that could stop the then-ongoing wars between the different religious communities. The Swaran Singh Committee was appointed as the advisor to reframe and rephrase laws that could help to tackle the internal issues of the country. It was also expected to create a set of rules as a fundamental duty of every citizen to abide by and follow. The Swaran Singh Committee then came up with several fundamental duties that every citizen must support.

When was the Swaran Singh Committee Founded?

The Swaran Singh Committee was formed by the Congress Party under the rule of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1976. During the years 1975-1977, a state of national emergency was declared due to the ongoing fights between the Sikh and the Hindu community. There was a lot of confusion, havoc, and violence going on which disrupted the very essence of democracy. All the people were involved in extreme violence, and this led to a lot of fights, killings, kidnappings, and murders. The committee was formed to reform and improve the current state.

Swaran Singh Committee Recommendations

Swaran Singh Committee was formed to tackle the issues of Internal emergency going on in 1976. The recommended actions by the committee members were:

• Instead of taking forceful steps in the heat of the moment, a resolution or an amendment must be made in the constitution to put a stop to the then activities and in the future too, if any take place.
• The committee recommended and formulated a set of 10 fundamental duties which were based on basic duties that every citizen of India must perform, and these were counted as a part of the 42nd amendment of the constitution. Later on, an 11th fundamental duty too was appended to Article 51 (A).
• The fundamental duties were added on the suggestions of the Swaran Singh Committee, and they described the ethics of the citizens and their national, moral, and civic duties for their country. Due to the situation of civil war in the country, Indira Gandhi realized that a set of fundamental duties imposed on the people could only lessen the havoc and this would also be helpful in the future.
• The idea of fundamental duties has been taken by the constitution of Russia, and apart from India, Japan is the only democratic country that has described basic fundamental duties in it’s constitution.

Swaran Singh Committee Members

The following 12 members were a part of the Swaran Singh Committee:

Name of member	Designation
Sardar Swaran Singh	Chairman & Leader
S.S. Ray	Member
VN Gadgil	Member
BN Banerjee	Member
Dinesh Goswami	Member
DP Singh	Member
CM Stephen	Member
HR Gokhale	Member
Rajni Patel	Member
VA Sayed Muhammed	Member
A.R. Antulay	Member
Vasant Sathe	Member

Swaran Singh Committee Fundamental Duties

The fundamental duties prescribed in Article 51 (A) refer to ethics, moral values and civic duties. These are those duties that any citizen, despite it’s race, creed, religion must follow to ensure the smooth run of the country with no acts of violence and damage to the very essence of nation and it’s democracy. The fundamental duties state the following :

1. It is the duty of every citizen to abide by the laws and rules imposed by the constitution and if a citizen fails to do so, he or she will be imposed a penalty under the national honour act. It’s the moral duty of the citizen to respect the national flag and the national anthem.
2. Every citizen is entitled to follow the ideals which bought freedom to the country during the long freedom struggle and must not disregard any of them.
3. According to the constitution (preamble), every citizen should follow the aspects of sovereignty, secularism, and fraternity.
4. Every citizen must defend the country as and when the situation arises, and must always be in support of it’s country.
5. Every citizen must be ethical, and should respect all religions by not declaring one’s own religion as supreme, not indulge into derogatory happenings with women and deal with them respectfully.
6. The citizens of India must comply with and praise the national heritage and culture of India.
7. The citizen must save and protect the natural vegetation, wildlife and national heritage of the country and not make harm to any.
8. The citizens must think every thought scientifically and not get swayed away by religious emotions, or by the talks of many.
9. Every citizen must make sure that he or she does no harm to the public property of the country as it directly falls under the Prevention of Public Property Act, 1984.
10. Every citizen must try to perform exceptionally well in his or her field of work, so as in to bring about betterment for the nation and take it to great heights.
11. (Amendment 2002) This states that it is the right of every citizen of the country to provide mandatory education to children aged 6-14 years, and provide opportunities for girl children.

On taking a keen look at all of these fundamental duties, we may find that all of the fundamental duties described at the start or directly or indirectly linked to the situation of the national emergency in 1975-77. This means that these fundamental duties were prescribed keeping in mind the then situations of terror and violence. It became a matter of national significance as then any person committing to any of the crimes during those times could be directly arrested by the police personnel under acts described in the constitution.

Swaran Singh Committee UPSC

The Swaran Singh Committee holds significance in the context of Indian polity and constitutional amendments, making it an important topic for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations. Formed in 1976 during the Emergency period under the chairmanship of Sardar Swaran Singh, then a senior Congress leader, the committee was tasked with studying the Constitution of India and suggesting amendments.

Swaran Singh Committee – Preparation Tips for UPSC

• Focus on the committee’s major recommendations and their implications for the Indian political system.
• Understand the background and outcomes of the 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, in relation to the committee’s work.
• Analyze the relevance of Fundamental Duties in today’s context and how they reflect on citizens’ responsibilities.
• Keep an eye on current affairs related to constitutional amendments and judiciary-executive relations, as they can be linked back to the committee’s recommendations during answer writing.

Conclusion – Swaran Singh Committee

Thus, the establishment of Swaran Singh Committee was a turning point during the national emergency and the members of the committee framed the fundamental duties with utmost care and dedication as they were entitled to saving the people who were being brutally killed and murdered then. The fundamental duties instigate a sense of passion and pride for the country, keeping in mind a sense of discipline and commitment towards the nation, to together work for it’s betterment and peace & prosperity. They help the judiciary and police in terms of arrest by directly imposing laws of constitution, restricting people to commit crime that would harm the democratic environment.

People Also Read:

• Fundamental Duties In Indian Constitution
• Parts of the Indian Constitution
• Can an Indian citizen be punished for violation of Fundamental Duties?

FAQs on Swaran Singh Committee

When was the Swaran Singh Committee formed?

The Swaran Singh Committee was formed in 1976 during the turmoils going on due to national emergency.

What did the Swaran Singh Committee form?

The Committee formed a set of 10 fundamental duties under Article 51, and a 11th fundamental duty was added to the Article 51 (A) by a constitutional amendment act in 2002.

What do the 11 fundamental duties say?

The 11 fundamental duties talk about the moral and civic duties of every citizen of India, that he or she must perform in order to ensure peace and prosperity in the nation.

How were the fundamental duties formed?

They were formed keeping in mind the ongoing situations and turmoils of national emergency that hence stirred them to create almost all rules according to situations of civil war.

Are the fundamental duties non-justiciable?

Yes. The fundamental duties are non justiciable, which means the court or judiciary cannot directly impose laws on it.