No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.
In plain language
The State cannot take your life or your personal freedom unless it follows a procedure that is fair, not merely written down. Courts have used this article to protect dignity, privacy, livelihood, and humane treatment — far beyond the original one-line text.
Current official-edition wording. Historical reconstruction is not claimed for this article.
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Judicial interpretation
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India (1978). The Supreme Court held that procedure under Article 21 must be fair, just, and reasonable — not merely any procedure enacted by Parliament.