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Which Article permits reasonable restrictions for decency/obscenity?

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Free speech → 19(1)(a). Obscenity/decency restrictions → 19(2). Always read restrictions narrowly (proportionality test).
Updated On: Jul 10, 2026
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Approach Solution - 1

Step 1: Issue.
The question asks which provision of the Constitution allows the State to restrict speech on the ground of decency, morality, or obscenity.

Step 2: Rule.
Article 19(1)(a) gives citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression. Article 19(2) qualifies this right by allowing a law to impose reasonable restrictions on specific grounds, and decency or morality is one of the grounds written into the text of that clause.

Step 3: Application.
Obscenity is treated in Indian law as an offence against public decency and morality, not as a breach of public order or a security concern. Any restriction on obscene speech must be justified under the decency or morality head of Article 19(2), since that is the only ground in the clause that fits the harm being regulated.

Step 4: Conclusion.
The ground for restricting obscene speech is decency and morality under Article 19(2).
\[ \boxed{\text{Article 19(2)}} \]
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Approach Solution -2

To find the constitutional basis for restricting obscene speech, it helps to go through the grounds listed in Article 19(2) and see which one actually covers obscenity.

Public order covers speech that could cause a breakdown of law and order, riots, or violence. Obscene content does not, by itself, threaten public order.


Security of the State covers speech that threatens the integrity or safety of the nation, such as sedition-adjacent speech or incitement to war. Obscenity has nothing to do with national security.


Defamation covers speech that harms an individual's reputation through false statements. Obscene material is objectionable because of its content and effect on public morals, not because it defames a specific person.


Contempt of court and incitement to an offence are narrow grounds tied to the authority of courts and to provoking criminal acts, neither of which describes obscene material.


Decency or morality is the one ground in Article 19(2) aimed precisely at content that is indecent, vulgar, or morally offensive to the public, which is exactly what obscenity law targets. This is why every obscenity statute in India, from the old Section 292 IPC to Section 67 of the IT Act, is upheld as a reasonable restriction under this specific ground.

Therefore, the correct answer is Article 19(2), restricting speech on the ground of decency or morality.

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