Article 29 and 30 of the Constitution of India provide cultural and educational rights to religious and linguistic minorities in India. These articles help in accommodating the spirit of pluralism and embracing the idea of unity in diversity. 

Article 29: Protection of Interests of Minorities 

Article 29(1): ‘’Any section of the citizens’’ residing in the territory of India or any part thereof having a distinct language, script or culture of its own shall have the right to conserve the same.

• Scope: This provision protects the rights of a group. 
• Nature: Article 29(1) is an absolute right for the minorities and this right is not subjected to any reasonable restriction. 

Article 29(2): No citizen shall be denied admission into any educational institution maintained by the State or receiving aid out of State funds on grounds only of religion, race, caste, language or any of them.

• Scope: This provision protects the right of an individual citizen irrespective of the community to which he belongs. 

Features of Article 29

• Applicability: This fundamental right is exclusively accessible to Indian citizens.
• Scope of the article: It provides protection to both religious and linguistic minorities. Contrary to popular belief, the Supreme Court determined that the scope of this article is not limited solely to minorities. The court stated that the phrase ‘any section of citizens’ in the article indicates that it encompasses both minorities and the majority.