New Delhi: A good sleep is necessary if we want to live a healthy life. It energises us and helps us to start the day on a good note. A night of good sleep improves our quality of life, brain activity, mood, and health. Lack of sleep can affect our daily activities and may raise the risk of several disorders and diseases. Did you know that the right to sleep is a fundamental right in India? Every citizen is entitled under Article 21 of the constitution to sleep peacefully with no disturbance.
Article 21: Right To Sleep
The right to sleep has been recognised as a fundamental right under ‘Right To Life and Personal Libery’ of Article 21. “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law,” according to Article 21 of the constitution.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a case on police action on a sleeping crowd at Baba Ramdev’s rally in Delhi in 2012, ruled that the action by cops led to a violation of a fundamental right. “Sleep is essential for a human being to maintain the delicate balance of health necessary for its very existence and survival. Sleep is, therefore, a fundamental and basic requirement without which the existence of life itself would be in peril,” the Supreme Court said while stating sleep as a basic human right, according to a report by Times of India.
In Sayeed Maqsood Ali versus State of Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh High Court said every citizen is “entitled under Article 21 of the constitution to live in a decent environment and has the right to sleep peacefully at night”. “It has been said sleep is the best cure for waking troubles and the sleep of a labouring man is sweet. Sleep brings serenity. Lack of sleep creates a lack of concentration, irritability and reduced efficiency. It cannot be lost sight of that silence invigorates the mind, energises the body and quitens the soul. That apart, solitude can be chosen as a companion by a citizen. No one has a right to affect the rights of others to have proper sleep, a peaceful living atmosphere and undisturbed thought,” the high court said.
“No citizen can be compelled to suffer annoying effects of noise as that eventually leads to many a malady which includes cardiovascular disturbance, digestive disorders and neuropsychiatric disturbance.”