Your Duties as a Citizen (Article 48)

Article 48 — Duties of Citizens

Citizenship is not only about rights. The Constitution places four duties on every citizen. Article 48 states: "Every citizen shall have the following duties:"

1. To safeguard the nationality, sovereignty and integrity of Nepal, while being loyal to the nation.
2. To abide by the Constitution and law.
3. To render compulsory service as and when the State so requires.
4. To protect and preserve public property.

What these mean in everyday life

• Loyalty and integrity: respecting Nepal's sovereignty and unity.
• Obeying the law: following the Constitution and the laws made under it — the foundation of the rule of law.
• Compulsory service: being available to serve the nation when the State lawfully requires it (for example, in an emergency).
• Protecting public property: caring for schools, roads, offices, forests and other shared resources as your own.

These are the only four duties listed in Article 48. Many people assume things like voting or paying taxes are "constitutional duties" — they are important civic acts, but they are not among the four duties the Constitution places on citizens in Article 48.

A note on the State's obligations

Just as citizens have duties, the State has its own guiding obligations. These appear in Part 4 — Directive Principles, Policies and Obligations of the State (Article 49 onwards), which serve as guidelines for how the State should govern.

Source: Constitution of Nepal, Article 48, quoted verbatim (Nepal Law Commission).