Indian Constitution, Polity and Governance
What this domain tests
The Preamble, fundamental rights, directive principles, fundamental duties, the writ jurisdiction, the higher judiciary, amendment procedure, local government, and the constitutional position of the Telangana High Court.
Core rules
- Part III (Articles 12–35) contains fundamental rights. The right to property was removed by the 44th Amendment, 1978 and survives only as a legal right under Article 300A.
- Writs under Article 32 (Supreme Court) and Article 226 (High Court): habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, quo warranto. Article 226 is wider but discretionary.
- Article 141 makes law declared by the Supreme Court binding on all courts; Article 142 empowers complete justice.
- High Courts are constituted under Article 214; judges retire at 62; the Supreme Court under Articles 124 and 217 covers High Court judge appointments.
- The 42nd Amendment, 1976 added Part IVA (Article 51A) and the words socialist, secular and integrity to the Preamble; the 44th Amendment, 1978 reversed several Emergency provisions.
- The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) gave constitutional status to panchayats and municipalities.
Worked example
A prisoner seeks free legal aid. The source is Article 21, the right to life and personal liberty, expanded in cases such as Hussainara Khatoon, and the right to privacy recognised in K.S. Puttaswamy (2017) also flows from Article 21. Article 19 is not the answer because legal aid is not a freedom of expression or movement claim.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing the 42nd with the 44th Amendment.
- Treating directive principles as enforceable in court, which they are not.
- Assuming Article 32 and 226 are identical in scope.
- Quoting an amendment article other than Article 368.