Indian Polity Questions for SSC CGL

The Constitution — Basic Facts

The Indian Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee. Originally it had 395 Articles, 8 Schedules, and 22 Parts. Currently it has 448 Articles, 12 Schedules, and 25 Parts after amendments.

• Longest written constitution in the world
• Constituent Assembly took 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days to draft it
• Dr. Rajendra Prasad was the President of the Constituent Assembly
• Sources: USA (Fundamental Rights, judicial review), UK (Parliamentary system, Rule of Law), Ireland (DPSP), Canada (Federal structure), Australia (Concurrent List)
• Preamble declares India a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic — 'Socialist' and 'Secular' added by 42nd Amendment 1976

Fundamental Rights — Articles 12 to 35

Fundamental Rights are justiciable rights guaranteed to all citizens (some to all persons). They are enforceable in courts. Article 32 is called the 'Heart and Soul' of the Constitution by Ambedkar as it allows citizens to directly approach the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.

• Right to Equality: Articles 14-18 (includes abolition of untouchability — Art 17)
• Right to Freedom: Articles 19-22 (6 freedoms under Art 19, protection against arrest under Art 22)
• Right against Exploitation: Articles 23-24 (prohibition of forced labour, child labour below 14)
• Right to Freedom of Religion: Articles 25-28
• Cultural and Educational Rights: Articles 29-30
• Right to Constitutional Remedies: Article 32 — 5 writs: Habeas Corpus, Mandamus, Prohibition, Certiorari, Quo Warranto

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP) — Articles 36 to 51

DPSPs are non-justiciable guidelines for the government to achieve a welfare state. Borrowed from the Irish Constitution. They cannot be enforced in court but are fundamental to governance. The 42nd Amendment gave DPSPs precedence over some Fundamental Rights.

• Article 39A — Equal justice and free legal aid
• Article 40 — Organisation of village panchayats (Gram Swaraj)
• Article 44 — Uniform Civil Code
• Article 45 — Free and compulsory education for children (now a Fundamental Right under Art 21A)
• Article 51 — Promotion of international peace

Parliament — Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

India has a bicameral Parliament — Lok Sabha (Lower House) and Rajya Sabha (Upper House). Lok Sabha represents the people directly while Rajya Sabha represents the states. The President of India is also part of Parliament.

• Lok Sabha: maximum 552 members (530 states + 20 UTs + 2 Anglo-Indian nominated — nomination abolished by 104th Amendment 2020), current strength 543
• Rajya Sabha: maximum 250 members (238 elected + 12 nominated by President), permanent body — never dissolved
• Lok Sabha term: 5 years; Rajya Sabha members serve 6-year terms, 1/3 retire every 2 years
• Speaker of Lok Sabha presides; Vice President of India is ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha
• Money Bills can only originate in Lok Sabha (Article 110); Rajya Sabha has no power to amend them

President and Vice President

The President is the constitutional head of India — executive power is vested in the President but exercised by the Council of Ministers headed by the PM. The President is elected by an Electoral College comprising elected members of both Houses of Parliament and elected members of State Legislative Assemblies.

• Article 52: There shall be a President of India
• Article 74: Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President — advice is binding (44th Amendment)
• President's term: 5 years; can be re-elected; impeachment under Article 61
• Vice President elected by both Houses of Parliament (not state assemblies) — Article 66
• Pocket veto: President can withhold assent indefinitely to a bill (no time limit for private member bills)

Judiciary — Supreme Court and High Courts

India has an integrated single judiciary. The Supreme Court is at the apex, followed by High Courts, and then subordinate courts. The SC was established on 26 January 1950. The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President.

• Article 124: Establishment of Supreme Court — original strength 8, now 34 (including CJI)
• Article 143: President can seek advisory opinion from SC (no binding effect)
• Article 226: High Courts can issue writs — broader jurisdiction than SC (even for non-Fundamental Rights)
• Article 368: Power to amend the Constitution (Parliament)
• Judicial review power: SC can strike down laws violating the Constitution

Important Constitutional Amendments

Amendments modify or add to the Constitution. They are proposed by Parliament under Article 368. SSC CGL frequently asks about landmark amendments and what changes they brought.

• 1st Amendment (1951): Added 9th Schedule (laws placed here cannot be challenged in courts)
• 42nd Amendment (1976): Called 'Mini Constitution' — added Socialist, Secular, Integrity to Preamble; gave DPSP precedence
• 44th Amendment (1978): Restored Right to Property as a legal right (not Fundamental Right) — Article 300A
• 61st Amendment (1988): Reduced voting age from 21 to 18
• 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992): Gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies
• 101st Amendment (2016): Introduced GST
• 103rd Amendment (2019): 10% EWS reservation for economically weaker sections

Schedules of the Constitution

The 12 Schedules are supplementary tables that deal with specific matters. Knowing which schedule covers what is a direct exam favourite.

• 1st Schedule: List of States and UTs
• 2nd Schedule: Salaries of constitutional post holders
• 3rd Schedule: Oaths and affirmations
• 7th Schedule: Three lists — Union List (97 subjects), State List (66 subjects), Concurrent List (47 subjects)
• 8th Schedule: 22 officially recognised languages
• 10th Schedule: Anti-defection law (added by 52nd Amendment)
• 12th Schedule: Powers of Urban Local Bodies (Municipalities)

• Confusing adoption date (26 Nov 1949) with enforcement date (26 Jan 1950) — exam asks both separately
• Mixing up who elects President vs Vice President — state assemblies vote for President but NOT for VP
• Thinking Rajya Sabha can reject a Money Bill — it can only delay by 14 days, not reject
• Confusing Article 32 (SC writs for Fundamental Rights) with Article 226 (HC writs — broader scope)
• Assuming Right to Property is still a Fundamental Right — it was removed in 1978 by 44th Amendment and is now only a legal right under Article 300A

• FRESH — Fundamental Rights categories: Freedom, Right to equality, Exploitation (against), Speech/Religion, Habeas corpus (remedies) — helps recall the 6 categories
• For Preamble additions by 42nd Amendment: 'SS India' — Socialist, Secular, and Integrity were the three words added
• 7th Schedule lists: USE — Union, State, Equivalent (Concurrent) to remember the three lists in order
• Writ mnemonic: HMPQC — Habeas Corpus (produce body), Mandamus (command to do duty), Prohibition (stop lower court), Quo Warranto (by what authority), Certiorari (quash order)
• 42 = Mini Constitution, 44 = Property gone, 61 = Vote at 18, 73/74 = Panchayat/Municipality — link the number to the change

• Article numbers are directly asked — especially 14, 17, 19, 21, 32, 44, 110, 124, 226, 368. Memorise these cold.
• Recent shifts (2023-24) have focused on amendments — particularly 101st (GST), 103rd (EWS), and 104th (Anglo-Indian nomination removal). Always check recent amendments.
• Questions on Schedules — especially 8th (languages) and 10th (anti-defection) — appear almost every year. Know what each of the 12 schedules contains.
• Polity questions in SSC CGL are factual and one-liner — no lengthy analysis. If you know the exact fact, it takes under 20 seconds per question. Target all polity questions.
• Emergency provisions (Articles 352, 356, 360), Governor's role, and CAG are emerging trends in recent papers — give them one read before the exam.