Equality in the context of the Indian Constitution represents a foundational democratic value aimed at ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their social, economic, or cultural backgrounds, are treated with equal respect and afforded equal opportunities. The framers of the Constitution recognized the deep-rooted inequalities in Indian society, shaped by caste hierarchies, gender discrimination, economic disparities, and religious divisions. Therefore, equality was embedded not only as a legal principle but also as a transformative tool to restructure social relations and promote justice. The most direct articulation of equality appears in Articles 14 to 18, which together constitute the Equality Code. Article 14 guarantees equality before the law and equal protection of the laws. Equality before the law, inspired by British jurisprudence, emphasizes the absence of special privileges and the equal subjection of all individuals to ordinary law. Equal protection of the laws, derived from the American tradition, ensures that the state treats individuals in similar situations similarly while permitting