BharatNotes Untouchability
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
By abolishing untouchability under Article 17 and criminalising its practice in any form, the Constitution sought not merely to outlaw a social evil but to restore the dignity and equal moral worth of citizens long relegated to the margins of public life.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
untouchable (n/adj), touch (v), touchable (adj), untouched (adj), untouchables (n pl)
Root
Sanskrit asprishyatā: a- = negation + sprishya = touchable, from spriś = to touch; English un- + touchable + -ity
Etymology
From un- + touchable + -ity; Indian English term for the Sanskrit concept of asprishyatā (from a- negation + sprishya "touchable", from spriś "to touch"). The term gained international currency through B.R. Ambedkar's writings and campaigns.
Memory Hook
Un-touch-ability: literally the imposed condition of being treated as "not to be touched" - a person walled off by caste so that even contact is deemed defiling.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The practice of treating certain communities as ritually polluting and enforcing disabilities on that basis. Article 17 is unambiguous, and the wording is worth reproducing exactly: 'Untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden', with the enforcement of any disability arising out of untouchability made an offence punishable in accordance with law. The examinable observation is the gap between formal abolition and continuing practice, which is why statutory machinery beyond the constitutional declaration was found necessary.
Don’t Confuse It With
Untouchability is the specific practice of enforcing disabilities on grounds of ritual pollution, and is constitutionally abolished. Casteism is the broader discrimination on caste grounds. Segregation is spatial separation, one form untouchability takes. Atrocity refers to the specific grave offences against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for which separate statutory machinery exists.
Hindi Meaning
अस्पृश्यता (asprishyatā); छुआछूत (chhuāchhūt) in ordinary speech.
Common Questions
- What does Article 17 say about untouchability?
- It provides that untouchability is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden, and that enforcing any disability arising out of untouchability is an offence punishable in accordance with law.
- If untouchability is abolished, why does it persist?
- Constitutional abolition removes legal sanction but cannot by itself change social practice, which is why additional statutory machinery and enforcement were found necessary.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2020 — Fundamental Rights
- Prelims 2017 — Fundamental Rights
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Untouchability” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
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