Preliminary Examination (Objective Screening)
What the screening paper tests
The preliminary stage is an objective screening test. It rewards breadth: civil law (Contract, Transfer of Property, CPC, Specific Relief, Limitation, personal law), criminal law (BNS, BNSS, POCSO, NDPS, Prevention of Corruption Act), evidence (BSA), constitutional law, jurisprudence, and legal current affairs. Questions are usually direct on definitions, ingredients, and the ratio of leading cases rather than long problems.
Core rules to keep at hand
- In evidence, separate relevance from admissibility: a fact may be relevant yet excluded by an exclusionary rule, such as a confession to police.
- In criminal law, learn the ingredients of each offence and the general exceptions. Section numbers changed with BNS/BNSS/BSA, so learn both old and new numbering.
- In constitutional law, know the writs, fundamental rights, and the tests for classification and restriction.
- In civil law, track limitation periods and the difference between substantive and procedural provisions.
Worked example
Question: “A dying declaration recorded by a police officer is inadmissible.” Answer: false. Under the Evidence Act/BSA, a statement as to the cause of death is relevant even if made to a police officer; no magistrate is required. Admissibility is not the issue; voluntariness, mental fitness, and consistency go to weight. If there are multiple declarations, the court reconciles them or accepts the one it finds trustworthy.
Traps
Negative marking makes blind guessing costly. Mixing old IPC/CrPC numbers with BNS/BNSS options is a common distractor. Do not confuse Article 32 with Article 226, or res judicata with res sub judice. Long fact patterns often test one narrow rule; read the last line first.