UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice Syllabus

General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice in UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Constitution of India

   4 topics

   • Historical Evolution and Making
     • Constituent Assembly and framing process
     • Sources and borrowed features
     • Preamble: philosophy and significance
   • Fundamental Rights, Duties and DPSP
     • Six Fundamental Rights and writ jurisdiction
     • Directive Principles of State Policy
     • Fundamental Duties (Article 51A)
   • Basic Structure and Amendments
     • Amendment procedure under Article 368
     • Kesavananda Bharati and basic structure doctrine
   • Federalism and Centre-State Relations
     • Legislative, administrative and financial relations
     • Inter-State Council and disputes
     • Emergency provisions and their impact on federalism
2. 2

   Union and State Executive, Legislature, Judiciary

   4 topics

   • Union Executive
     • President and Vice-President: election and powers
     • Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
   • Parliament and State Legislatures
     • Composition, sessions and law-making process
     • Parliamentary committees and devices of control
     • Anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule)
   • State Executive
     • Governor: role, discretion and controversies
     • Chief Minister and State Council of Ministers
   • Judiciary
     • Supreme Court and High Courts: jurisdiction
     • Judicial review, activism and PIL
     • Judicial appointments and collegium system
3. 3

   Constitutional and Statutory Bodies

   3 topics

   • Constitutional Bodies
     • Election Commission of India
     • UPSC and State Public Service Commissions
     • CAG and Finance Commission
   • Statutory and Regulatory Bodies
     • NHRC, CIC and Lokpal
     • NITI Aayog and erstwhile Planning Commission
   • Quasi-Judicial Bodies
     • Tribunals and administrative adjudication
     • Central Vigilance Commission and ombudsman mechanisms
4. 4

   Governance, Local Government and Social Justice

   4 topics

   • Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies
     • 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments
     • Finances and functioning of local bodies
   • Governance Mechanisms
     • Citizen charters, RTI and e-governance
     • Civil services and administrative reforms
   • Welfare Schemes and Vulnerable Sections
     • Schemes for SCs, STs, women and children
     • Mechanisms and institutions for protection
   • Role of Civil Society and NGOs
     • SHGs, pressure groups and associations

General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice flashcards for UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE)

23 of 51 cards from the General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Which Act introduced the office of Viceroy and ended the rule of the East India Company in India?

   The Government of India Act, 1858, which transferred power to the British Crown and created the office of Viceroy (Lord Canning was the first).

2. How many sources contributed to the Indian Constitution, and from where was the idea of Fundamental Rights borrowed?

   Fundamental Rights were borrowed from the Constitution of the United States (Bill of Rights).

3. Who was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly, and when was the Constitution adopted and enforced?

   Dr. B.R. Ambedkar chaired the Drafting Committee. The Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950.

4. On whose motion was the Objectives Resolution moved in the Constituent Assembly, and what did it later become?

   It was moved by Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 December 1946 and later formed the basis of the Preamble.

5. How many Fundamental Rights are currently provided in the Constitution, and which one was removed?

   Six Fundamental Rights (Articles 12–35). The Right to Property was removed as a Fundamental Right by the 44th Amendment (1978) and made a legal right under Article 300A.

6. List the six Fundamental Rights with their article ranges.

   Right to Equality (14–18), Right to Freedom (19–22), Right against Exploitation (23–24), Right to Freedom of Religion (25–28), Cultural and Educational Rights (29–30), and Right to Constitutional Remedies (32).

7. What are the five writs available under Article 32, and what does 'Habeas Corpus' mean?

   Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, and Quo Warranto. Habeas Corpus means 'to have the body' — a court directs production of a detained person to test the legality of detention.

8. How many Fundamental Duties exist and which amendment added them?

   Eleven Fundamental Duties (Article 51A). The first ten were added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on the Swaran Singh Committee recommendation; the 11th was added by the 86th Amendment (2002).

9. Which article makes the Directive Principles fundamental in governance but non-justiciable?

   Article 37 — the DPSPs (Part IV, Articles 36–51) are fundamental in the governance of the country but are not enforceable by any court.

10. Which article was called the 'heart and soul of the Constitution' by Dr. Ambedkar?

    Article 32 (Right to Constitutional Remedies).

11. What is the Basic Structure Doctrine and in which case was it propounded?

    It holds that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution so as to destroy its basic features. It was propounded in Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala (1973).

12. Under which article is Parliament empowered to amend the Constitution, and what are the three modes of amendment?

    Article 368. The three modes are: (1) simple majority, (2) special majority, and (3) special majority plus ratification by half the state legislatures.

13. Which Amendment is called the 'Mini-Constitution' and why?

    The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, because it made wide-ranging changes including adding 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble and Fundamental Duties.

14. Which case overruled the view that Fundamental Rights cannot be amended, and which case held Article 31C valid only partly?

    Golaknath (1967) said FRs cannot be amended; Kesavananda Bharati (1973) overruled it. The Minerva Mills case (1980) struck down parts of the 42nd Amendment, reaffirming the basic structure.

15. Name three features that the Supreme Court has held to be part of the 'basic structure'.

    Supremacy of the Constitution, judicial review, separation of powers, federalism, secularism, rule of law, and free and fair elections (any three).

16. What type of federation does the Indian Constitution establish, and which article describes India as a 'Union of States'?

    A quasi-federal (federal in form, unitary in spirit) system. Article 1 describes India as a 'Union of States'.

17. How are legislative powers divided between the Centre and States, and in which Schedule?

    Through three lists in the Seventh Schedule: Union List (97 subjects), State List (66 subjects), and Concurrent List (47 subjects). Residuary powers rest with the Union (Article 248).

18. Which article allows Parliament to legislate on a State List subject in the national interest, and which body must pass the resolution?

    Article 249 — Parliament can legislate on a State subject if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution by a two-thirds majority that it is necessary in the national interest.

19. Which body recommends the distribution of tax revenues between the Centre and States, and under which article?

    The Finance Commission, constituted by the President under Article 280 every five years.

20. What does Article 356 deal with, and what is it commonly known as?

    Imposition of President's Rule (State Emergency) when the constitutional machinery in a State fails; commonly known as President's Rule.

21. Who is the executive head of the Union, and under which article is the executive power vested?

    The President of India; executive power of the Union is vested in the President under Article 53.

22. How is the President of India elected, and what is the method called?

    By an electoral college of elected MPs and elected MLAs, through proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote (system of proportional representation).

23. What is the qualification age and term of office for the President of India?

    Minimum age 35 years; term of five years, eligible for re-election.

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