Law

About this optional

Law is one of the optional subjects of the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination. A candidate chooses one optional subject from the Commission's list, and it is examined in two papers: Paper VI (Optional Subject Paper 1) and Paper VII (Optional Subject Paper 2) of the Main Examination. Both papers are counted for merit. See UPSC Mains: Optional Subject (two papers) for the full list of optional subjects.

• Questions are of the conventional (essay) type.
• The two papers carry 500 of the 1,750 marks of the written part; the marks of Papers I to VII and of the Personality Test (275 marks) together decide the final ranking.
• For Law, the Commission sets the level of the optional papers at the bachelor's degree (for most other optionals it is broadly the honours degree level).
• The question papers are set in Hindi and English. You answer in English or in one of the languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution; a candidate who writes the Essay and General Studies papers in an Eighth Schedule language may still write the optional papers in English.

Paper I

The official syllabus of Law Paper I, as printed in the notice (the Commission's own wording, spelling and numbering).

Constitutional and administrative Law

1. Constitution and Constitutionalism: The distinctive features of the Constitution.
2. Fundamental Rights—Public interest litigation; Legal Aid; Legal services authority.
3. Relationship between Fundamental rights, Directive principles and Fundamental duties.
4. Constitutional Position of the President and relation with the Council of Ministers.
5. Governor and his powers.
6. Supreme Court and the High Courts:
(a) Appointments and transfer.
(b) Powers, functions and jurisdiction.
7. Centre, States and local bodies:
(a) Distribution of legislative powers between the Union and the States.
(b) Local Bodies.
(c) Administrative relationship among Union, State and Local Bodies.
(d) Eminent domain-State property-common property-community property.
8. Legislative powers, privileges and immunities.
9. Services under the Union and the States:
(a) Recruitment and conditions of services; Constitutional safeguards; Administrative tribunals.
(b) Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commissions—Power and functions.
(c) Election Commission—Power and functions.
10. Emergency provisions.
11. Amendment of the Constitution.
12. Principle of Natural Justice—Emerging trends and judicial approach.
13. Delegated legislation and its constitutionality.
14. Separation of powers and constitutional governance.
15. Judicial review of administrative action.
16. Ombudsman: Lokayukta, Lokpal etc.

International Law

1. Nature and Definition of International Law.
2. Relationship between International Law and Municipal Law.
3. State Recognition and State Succession.
4. Law of the sea: Inland Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and High Seas.
5. Individuals: Nationality, statelessness; Human Rights and procedures available for their enforcement.
6. Territorial jurisdiction of States, Extradition and Asylum.
7. Treaties: Formation, application, termination and reservation.
8. United Nations: Its principal organs, powers and functions and reform.
9. Peaceful settlement of disputes—different modes.
10. Lawful recourse to force: aggressions, self-defence, intervention.
11. Fundamental principles of international humanitarian law—International conventions and contemporary developments.
12. Legality of the use of nuclear weapons; ban on testing of nuclear weapons; Nuclear non-proliferation treaty, CTST.
13. International Terrorism, State sponsored terrorism, Hijacking, International Criminal Court.
14. New International Economic Order and Monetary Law: WTO, TRIPS, GATT, IMF, World Bank.
15. Protection and Improvement of the Human Environment: International Efforts.

Paper II

The official syllabus of Law Paper II, as printed in the notice (the Commission's own wording, spelling and numbering).

Law of Crimes

1. General principles of Criminal liability: mens rea and actus reus, mens rea in statutory offences.
2. Kinds of punishment and emerging trends as to abolition of capital punishment.
3. Preparations and criminal attempt.
4. General exceptions.
5. Joint and constructive liability.
6. Abetment.
7. Criminal conspiracy.
8. Offences against the State.
9. Offences against public tranquility.
10. Offences against human body.
11. Offences against property.
12. Offences against women.
13. Defamation.
14. Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
15. Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and subsequent legislative developments.
16. Plea bargaining.

Law of Torts

1. Nature and definition.
2. Liability based upon fault and strict liability; Absolute liability.
3. Vicarious liability including State Liability.
4. General defences.
5. Joint tort fessors.
6. Remedies.
7. Negligence.
8. Defamation.
9. Nuisance.
10. Conspiracy.
11. False imprisonment.
12. Malicious prosecution.
13. Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

Law of Contracts and Mercantile Law

1. Nature and formation of contract/E-contract.
2. Factors vitiating free consent.
3. Void, voidable, illegal and unenforceable agreements.
4. Performance and discharge of contracts.
5. Quasi-contracts.
6. Consequences of breach of contract.
7. Contract of indemnity, guarantee and insurance.
8. Contract of agency.
9. Sale of goods and hire purchase.
10. Formation and dissolution of partnership.
11. Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
12. Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
13. Standard form contracts.

Contemporary Legal Developments

1. Public Interest Litigation.
2. Intellectual property rights—Concept, types/prospects.
3. Information Technology Law including Cyber Laws—Concept, purpose/prospects.
4. Competition Law—Concept, purpose/prospects.
5. Alternate Dispute Resolution—Concept, types/prospects.
6. Major statutes concerning environmental law.
7. Right to Information Act.
8. Trial by media.

Overlaps with General Studies

• General Studies II: the largest overlap. The constitutional and administrative law part of Paper I covers the Constitution's features and amendments, Union-State relations and local bodies, separation of powers, Parliament's and the legislatures' powers and privileges, the executive and the judiciary, constitutional bodies such as the UPSC, State Public Service Commissions and the Election Commission, and bodies such as the Lokpal; the international law part supports the United Nations and other international institutions.
• General Studies III: intellectual property rights, cyber law and cyber security, terrorism, and environmental conservation and pollution.
• General Studies IV: probity in governance, the Right to Information and the challenges of corruption, which connect with the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Right to Information Act in Paper II.
• Prelims General Studies Paper I: Indian polity and governance (Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues).

Source: UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE, 4 February 2026 (Civil Services Examination, 2026), Appendix I, Section III, Part B, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.