Polity

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

Polity — Quick Facts for SSC CGL

Indian Constitution — Key Facts:

• Adopted by: Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 (came into effect on 26 January 1950)
• Drafting Committee Chairman: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar (Father of Indian Constitution)
• Total articles: Originally 395, now ~470 (after many amendments)
• Parts: Originally 22 parts, now 24 parts
• Schedules: Originally 8, now 12 schedules

Parts of the Constitution:

• Part I: The Union and its Territory
• Part II: Citizenship
• Part III: Fundamental Rights (Articles 12–35)
• Part IV: Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36–51)
• Part IV-A: Fundamental Duties (Article 51-A, added by 42nd Amendment, 1976)
• Part V: The Union Government (President, Vice-President, Council of Ministers, Parliament)
• Part VI: The State Governments (Governors, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, High Courts, Subordinate Courts)
• Part IX: Panchayats (added by 73rd Amendment, 1992)
• Part IX-A: Municipalities (added by 74th Amendment, 1992)
• Part XI: Relations between Union and States

Schedules (Quick Reference):

Schedule	Contents
First	States and Union Territories
Second	Governors’ salaries
Third	Forms of oaths
Fourth	Allocation of seats in Council of States (Rajya Sabha)
Fifth	Administration of scheduled areas and tribal areas
Sixth	Provisions for tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram
Seventh	Union list (100 subjects), State list (61 subjects), Concurrent list (52 subjects)
Eighth	Recognition of languages (22 scheduled languages)
Ninth	Land reforms (4th and 17th Amendments)
Tenth	Provisions about disqualification of MPs
Eleventh	Panchayat Raj
Twelfth	Municipalities

⚡ Exam tip: Concurrent list has 52 subjects (education, forest, marriage, bankruptcy, etc.) — both Parliament and state legislatures can make laws. Union list has 100 (defence, foreign affairs, banking, etc.) — Parliament has exclusive power. State list has 61 (police, agriculture, local government, etc.) — primarily state power.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

Polity — SSC CGL Study Guide

Fundamental Rights (Part III):

Article	Right	Key Points
14	Right to Equality	Equality before law; equal protection of laws
15	Prohibition of Discrimination	No discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth; allows affirmative action
16	Equality of Opportunity	Equal opportunity in public employment
17	Abolition of Untouchability	Practising untouchability punishable offence
19	Protection of Six Freedoms	Speech, assembly, association, movement, residence, profession (suspended during emergency)
20	Protection in Respect of Conviction	Ex post facto law, double jeopardy, self-incrimination
21	Right to Life and Personal Liberty	No person shall be deprived of life except according to procedure established by law
21A	Right to Education	Free and compulsory education for children 6–14 years (RTE Act, 2009)
22	Protection Against Arrest and Detention	Right to be informed of grounds; right to consult lawyer; habeas corpus
24	Prohibition of Child Labour	Children below 14 cannot work in factories
25–28	Right to Freedom of Religion	Freedom of conscience, free profession, practice and propagation of religion
29–30	Cultural and Educational Rights	Minorities’ right to conserve language/script; establish educational institutions
32	Right to Constitutional Remedies	Dr. Ambedkar called it the “heart and soul” of Constitution; SC can issue writs

Writs (Article 32):

• Habeas corpus: “You may have the body” — orders release of illegally detained person
• Mandamus: “We command” — orders lower court/authority to perform duty
• Prohibition: Lower court prevented from exceeding jurisdiction
• Quo warranto: “By what warrant” — questions legitimacy of person holding public office
• Certiorari: Superior court reviews decision of lower court

Directive Principles of State Policy (Part IV): Not enforceable in court but fundamental in governance. Examples:

• Article 38: Social order in which justice — social, economic and political — shall inform all institutions
• Article 39: Ownership and control of material resources to be distributed
• Article 40: Organisation of village panchayats
• Article 44: Uniform civil code
• Article 45: Free and compulsory education for children up to 14 years (now fulfilled by RTE 2009)
• Article 48: Agriculture and animal husbandry — organisation of agriculture on modern and scientific lines

Fundamental Duties (Article 51A): Added by 42nd Amendment; citizen shall:

• Abide by Constitution and respect national flag, national anthem
• Cherish and follow noble ideals of freedom struggle
• Protect sovereignty, unity, integrity of India
• Defend country when called upon
• Promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood
• Value and preserve heritage
• Develop scientific temper, humanism, spirit of inquiry
• Safeguard public property
• Strive for excellence
• Duty to provide opportunities to children for education (86th Amendment)

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

Polity — Comprehensive Notes

The President of India:

• Head of State; first citizen
• Elected by: Electoral College (elected members of Parliament + elected members of legislative assemblies)
• Term: 5 years; no fixed number of terms (Giani Zail Singh and KR Narayanan served single terms; Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan served two terms)
• Qualifications: Indian citizen; 35 years+ age; not a member of either house of Parliament or state legislature; not holding any office of profit
• Emergency powers (Article 352): President can declare National Emergency on written advice of Cabinet if “grave threat to security from war, external aggression, or armed rebellion.” 42nd Amendment changed “internal disturbance” to “armed rebellion.” Prolonged emergency (2 years+) requires parliamentary approval every 6 months.
• Article 356: President’s Rule (state emergency) — if Governor reports that state government cannot function according to Constitution; must be approved by Parliament within 2 months

Vice-President:

• Chairman of Rajya Sabha (presides over Rajya Sabha, but is NOT the presiding officer of Parliament)
• Elected by: Electoral College (elected members of Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha, in secret ballot)
• Only person to have held the office twice: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1952–1962), who later became President

Parliament (Part V):

Lok Sabha (House of the People):

• Maximum strength: 552 (530 states + 20 Union Territories + 2 Anglo-Indians nominated by President)
• Term: 5 years (dissolved earlier in emergency)
• Qualification: 25 years+ age; citizen of India
• Money Bill: Lok Sabha origin; Rajya Sabha cannot reject or amend (can only recommend changes within 14 days)

Rajya Sabha (Council of States):

• Permanent body (not dissolved); 1/3 retire every 2 years
• Maximum strength: 250 (currently 245)
• Represent states: Elected by elected members of legislative assemblies (indirect election)
• Nominated: 12 members by President (experts in literature, art, science, social service)
• Qualification: 30 years+ age; citizen of India; resident of state for which nominated
• Powers: Cannot dissolve government; cannot originate Money Bill; can discuss and recommend changes to non-Money Bills

Council of Ministers (Article 74, 75):

• Prime Minister: Head; appointed by President; must have confidence of Lok Sabha
• Council of Ministers: Collective responsibility to Lok Sabha
• Cabinet: Inner circle; only Ministers who hold portfolios; decisions are collective
• Attorney-General: Not a Cabinet member; Law Officer of Government of India; can speak in either House but no voting rights

Supreme Court (Part IV, Chapter VI):

• Composition: Chief Justice of India (CJI) + 34 judges (maximum)
• Appointment of CJI: President appoints senior-most judge of Supreme Court
• Appointment of other judges: CJI and 4 senior judges recommend; President appoints
• Retirement: 65 years of age
• Original jurisdiction: Disputes between Union and States; between two or more states (Article 131)
• Writ jurisdiction: Article 32 — Supreme Court can issue writs for enforcement of Fundamental Rights
• Judicial Review: Supreme Court can strike down laws violating Constitution (Basic Structure Doctrine — Kesavananda Bharati case, 1973)

High Courts (Part VI, Chapter V):

• Each state has a High Court (some states share a High Court, e.g., Punjab & Haryana)
• Current number: 25 High Courts
• Judges: Appointed by President (after consultation with CJI and Governor); retirement at 62 years
• Power to issue writs: Article 226 (broader than Article 32 — can issue writs for any legal right, not just Fundamental Rights)

44th Amendment (1978):

• Right to property (Article 19(1)(f) and Article 31) removed from Fundamental Rights; made legal right under Article 300A
• Added: No person shall be deprived of property except by authority of law

NEET/SSC Pattern Analysis: Polity is a high-frequency section in SSC CGL Tier-I (General Awareness, 3–4 questions) and Tier-II (Quantitative Aptitude, Paper-I General Studies). Key areas: articles and their associated rights, schedules and parts, presidential elections, emergency provisions, and differences between Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

⚡ SSC CGL 2022 Qn: Which article of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability? Answer: Article 17 — “Untouchability” is abolished and its practice in any form is forbidden.