Orissa High Court Judge Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi on Saturday said that the fundamental duties are equally important as the fundamental rights. Delivering his keynote address at a Teachers Training Programme on Fundamental Duties organised by the UGC-Ministry of Education at the National Law University, Odisha (NLUO), here Justice Panigrahi said that the citizens are supposed to enjoy their rights and perform their duties coextensively.
Even when the fundamental duties are not enforceable, the courts have often enforced the duties indirectly by reading them in conjunction with the fundamental rights, especially Article 21 which provides for right to life and liberty, Justice Panigrahi added.NLUO Vice-Chancellor Prof YP Singh stressed upon the importance of fundamental duties in nation building and responsibility of citizens to perform such duties.
He stated that if all citizens discharge their duties, people wouldn’t be required to fight for their rights, because the rights would then be automatically taken care of. NLUO Senior Professor Dr Sachidhanandam pointed out interface of rights and duties and how both are correlative to each other.