About Indian Polity
Indian polity at this level is the Constitution by number: which article deals with a subject, which Part an article falls in, and which Schedule covers what. The questions are factual and the answers are settled, so the work is memory rather than reasoning - but memory of a structure, and the structure is what makes it manageable.
What you need to understand
- The Constitution is divided into Parts, and an article's Part tells you what kind of provision it is. Part III is fundamental rights, Part IV is the directive principles, Part IVA is fundamental duties, Part V is the Union, Part VI the States, Part IX Panchayats, IXA Municipalities, and Parts XVIII and XX emergency provisions and amendment.
- Articles 12 to 35 are the fundamental rights: equality from 14 to 18, freedom in 19, life and liberty in 21 and 21A, protection in arrest in 22, the prohibition of forced labour and child labour in 23 and 24, freedom of religion from 25 to 28, and the remedies in 32.
- Article 32 is the right to move the Supreme Court for the enforcement of fundamental rights, and it is the article Dr Ambedkar called the heart of the Constitution.
- The directive principles run from Article 36 to 51. Article 40 asks for village panchayats, 44 for a uniform civil code, 45 for early childhood care, 48A for the environment and 50 for the separation of the judiciary from the executive.
- Fundamental duties were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976 and stand in Article 51A, in Part IVA - a Part created for them.
- The Union executive is in Part V: the Council of Ministers in 74, the Attorney-General in 76, the pardoning power in 72 and the ordinance power in 123.
- Part VI covers the States: the Governor's appointment in 155, his pardoning power in 161, the Advocate-General in 165, his ordinance power in 213, and the writ jurisdiction of the High Courts in 226.
- Financial provisions are in Part XII. Article 280 provides for the Finance Commission, and Article 275 for grants to certain States.
- Elections are in Part XV: Article 324 vests the superintendence of elections in an Election Commission.
- Emergency provisions are in Part XVIII. Article 356 deals with the failure of constitutional machinery in a State, which is what is meant by President's rule, and Article 360 with a financial emergency.
- There are twelve Schedules. The Seventh holds the three Lists, the Eighth the recognised languages, the Ninth land reform laws, the Tenth the grounds of defection, and the Eleventh and Twelfth the powers of Panchayats and Municipalities.
- The structure is worth learning before the numbers. Most questions can be narrowed to a Part first, and only two or three articles then remain to choose between.
- Nothing here changes with the government of the day. Where a provision has been altered by amendment, such as the age of the right to education or the status of a State, the question is asked about the article as it now stands and the explanation says what it says.
How to work through these questions
- Learn the Parts first and the articles second. A question asking which Part an article falls in can then be answered even when the article itself is unfamiliar.
- Group the fundamental rights by the number bands: equality 14 to 18, freedom 19, life 21, arrest 22, exploitation 23 and 24, religion 25 to 28, remedies 32.
- For the Union and the State, learn the pairs. The same provision usually exists for both, and the numbers differ by about ninety: 72 and 161 for pardoning, 123 and 213 for ordinances.
- Learn the Schedules by what they hold rather than by their numbers, since questions are usually asked that way round.
- Where two articles are close in number and subject, such as 14 and 15, learn what distinguishes them: 14 is equality before the law and 15 forbids discrimination on specific grounds.
- Read the question for the Part it names. A question about a directive principle cannot have a fundamental right as its answer.
Mistakes that cost marks
- Mixing up Article 14, which guarantees equality before the law, with Article 15, which forbids discrimination on particular grounds.
- Confusing Article 19, which lists the freedoms, with Article 21, which protects life and personal liberty.
- Placing Article 51A, on fundamental duties, in Part IV: the duties have a Part of their own, IVA.
- Mixing up Article 32, which is the constitutional remedy, with Article 226, which is the High Court's writ jurisdiction.
- Confusing Article 72, the President's pardoning power, with Article 161, the Governor's.
- Forgetting that Article 45 now deals with early childhood care, the right to education having moved to 21A.
- Answering from memory of a repealed or amended provision instead of from the Constitution as it stands.
- Treating the Union and the State provisions as one list, so that a State question is answered with an article from Part V.
Worked example
Which article of the Constitution deals with prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour?
- Ask which Part the subject belongs to. The prohibition of forced labour is one of the fundamental rights, so the article is in Part III and its number is below 35.
- The fundamental rights run in bands: equality in 14 to 18, freedom in 19, life and liberty in 21, protection in arrest in 22, and then exploitation.
- Article 24 forbids the employment of children in factories, which is the neighbouring right, so the article asked about is not 24.
- What remains is Article 23, which is the prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.
Answer: 23
Practice questions with answers
A few Indian Polity questions with the full solution shown, so you can see
how the method is applied before you attempt the timed set.
Question 1
Which of these articles of the Constitution deals with prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour?
Answer: Option D — with explanation
Article 23 of the Constitution falls under Part III and deals with prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced labour.
Questions of this kind are answered by knowing where a provision sits rather than by reasoning to it. Learning the Constitution by Parts, and by the small number of subjects that are asked about most often, is worth more than learning the articles in numerical order.
Common mistakes
- this is a different article: 16
- this is a different article: 275
- this is a different article: 108
Question 2
Which of these articles of the Constitution deals with protection against arrest and detention in certain cases?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
Article 22 of the Constitution falls under Part III and deals with protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.
Questions of this kind are answered by knowing where a provision sits rather than by reasoning to it. Learning the Constitution by Parts, and by the small number of subjects that are asked about most often, is worth more than learning the articles in numerical order.
Common mistakes
- this is a different article: 80
- this is a different article: 324
- this is a different article: 78
Question 3
Article 28 of the Constitution falls under which Part?
Answer: Option C — with explanation
Article 28 of the Constitution falls under Part III and deals with freedom as to attendance at religious instruction in state institutions.
Questions of this kind are answered by knowing where a provision sits rather than by reasoning to it. Learning the Constitution by Parts, and by the small number of subjects that are asked about most often, is worth more than learning the articles in numerical order.
Common mistakes
- this is the Part in which another article falls: XIV
- this is the Part in which another article falls: IXA
- this is the Part in which another article falls: IX
Question 4
Article 74 of the Constitution falls under which Part?
Answer: Option B — with explanation
Article 74 of the Constitution falls under Part V and deals with the Council of Ministers to aid and advise the President.
Questions of this kind are answered by knowing where a provision sits rather than by reasoning to it. Learning the Constitution by Parts, and by the small number of subjects that are asked about most often, is worth more than learning the articles in numerical order.
Common mistakes
- this is the Part in which another article falls: XIV
- this is the Part in which another article falls: XX
- this is the Part in which another article falls: IV
Question 5
The subject of protection of the freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession is dealt with by which article of the Constitution?
Answer: Option A — with explanation
Article 19 of the Constitution falls under Part III and deals with protection of the freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, residence and profession.
Questions of this kind are answered by knowing where a provision sits rather than by reasoning to it. Learning the Constitution by Parts, and by the small number of subjects that are asked about most often, is worth more than learning the articles in numerical order.
Common mistakes
- this is a different article: 18
- this is a different article: 368
- this is a different article: 13
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to learn every article?
No. A few dozen articles are asked about repeatedly, and they cluster in Parts III, IV, V, VI and XVIII. Learning the structure and those articles covers almost everything a competitive paper asks.
What is the difference between a fundamental right and a directive principle?
A fundamental right is enforceable in the courts, and a directive principle is a guide to the State that the courts do not enforce. That is why the rights are all in Part III and the principles in Part IV.
Is the Ninth Schedule still relevant?
It holds land reform laws that were shielded from challenge in the courts. Questions are usually about what the Schedule does rather than about particular laws in it.
Which articles are the ones most often asked?
Article 14, 19, 21, 21A, 32, 44, 51A, 72, 74, 123, 143, 280, 324, 356 and 368 appear again and again, and so do the Schedules.
Does this topic overlap with the logical reasoning section?
Only in appearance. The questions here are recall; the reasoning topics ask you to argue. The one place they meet is the right to constitutional remedies, which is a fact to be remembered rather than argued.
