Indian Polity and the Constitution · HCS (Haryana)

What the official syllabus says

HCS Preliminary Examination, Paper I: General Studies:

Indian Culture, Indian Polity and Indian Economy.
Questions on Indian Polity and Economy will test knowledge on the country's political system and Constitution of India. Panchayati Raj, social systems and economic developments in India.

Topics in detail

The note names the political system, the Constitution and Panchayati Raj. Learn Articles with what they do, not only their numbers.

Making and features of the Constitution

Historical background: Regulating Act to the Government of India Act, 1935 and the Indian Independence Act, 1947
The Constituent Assembly: composition, committees, adoption (26 November 1949) and commencement (26 January 1950)
Sources and salient features; the Preamble and its words; the basic structure doctrine (Kesavananda Bharati, 1973)
Parts and Schedules of the Constitution in outline

Citizens and rights

Union and its territory (Articles 1-4); citizenship (Articles 5-11) and the Citizenship Act, 1955
Fundamental Rights (Articles 12-35): equality, freedom, against exploitation, religion, cultural and educational rights, constitutional remedies; writs (Articles 32 and 226)
Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36-51) and their relation to Fundamental Rights
Fundamental Duties (Article 51A), added by the 42nd Amendment (1976)

The Union

President: election, powers, ordinances (Article 123), impeachment; Vice-President
Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers; Attorney General
Parliament: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Speaker, sessions, law-making, money and finance bills, committees, parliamentary devices (question hour, zero hour, motions)
Supreme Court: composition, jurisdiction, judicial review, public interest litigation

The States

Governor: appointment, powers, discretion, ordinances (Article 213)
Chief Minister and the State Council of Ministers; Advocate General
State Legislature: unicameral and bicameral legislatures, Legislative Councils
High Courts and subordinate courts

Federalism and constitutional bodies

Centre-state relations: legislative (Seventh Schedule lists), administrative and financial; inter-state councils and zonal councils
Emergency provisions: national (Article 352), state (Article 356), financial (Article 360)
Constitutional bodies: Election Commission (Article 324), Union and State Public Service Commissions, Finance Commission (Article 280), Comptroller and Auditor General (Article 148), National Commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
Non-constitutional bodies: NITI Aayog, National Human Rights Commission, Central Vigilance Commission, Lokpal and Lokayuktas, Central Information Commission
Amendment of the Constitution (Article 368) and important amendments

Panchayati Raj and local government

Evolution: Community Development Programme, Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957), Ashok Mehta Committee (1977)
73rd Amendment (1992): Part IX (Articles 243-243O), Gram Sabha, three tiers, reservation, State Election Commission, State Finance Commission, Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects)
74th Amendment (1992): Part IXA, municipalities, Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects)
PESA Act, 1996 in outline

Landmark judgments

Kesavananda Bharati (1973): the basic structure of the Constitution
Maneka Gandhi (1978): the meaning of personal liberty under Article 21
Minerva Mills (1980): balance between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles
Indra Sawhney (1992): reservation for backward classes and the creamy layer
S. R. Bommai (1994): limits on the use of Article 356

Political system and social systems

Elections and electoral reforms; anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule); political parties
Official language provisions; special provisions for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes
Social systems in the Constitution: reservation, protection of minorities, abolition of untouchability

Overlaps

The Constitution, governance and social justice are the core of Mains General Studies II.
The state's own system is on Haryana: Polity and Administration.