SSC STENOGRAPHER POLITY COMPLETE NOTES

SSC STENOGRAPHER POLITY COMPLETE NOTES

1. CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

Basic Facts

• Constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949.

• Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950.

• 26 November is celebrated as Constitution Day.

• 26 January is celebrated as Republic Day.

• Constituent Assembly first met on 9 December 1946.

• Temporary Chairman of Constituent Assembly → Sachchidananda Sinha.

• Permanent President of Constituent Assembly → Dr. Rajendra Prasad.

• Constitutional Adviser → B. N. Rau.

• Chairman of Drafting Committee → Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

• Constitution took 2 years, 11 months and 18 days to complete.

• Original Constitution had 395 Articles, 22 Parts and 8 Schedules.

• At present, the Constitution has 12 Schedules.

Sources of Indian Constitution

• Parliamentary system → Britain

• Fundamental Rights → USA

• Judicial Review → USA

• DPSP → Ireland

• Fundamental Duties → USSR/Russia

• Concurrent List → Australia

• Federation with strong Centre → Canada

• Emergency provisions → Germany

• Amendment procedure → South Africa

• Republic and ideals of liberty, equality, fraternity → France

Important: The Indian Constitution is a combination of both rigid and flexible features.

2. PREAMBLE

The Preamble begins with:

“We, the People of India…”

India is described as:

Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic, Republic

Objectives of Preamble

Justice

• Social

• Economic

• Political

Liberty

• Thought

• Expression

• Belief

• Faith

• Worship

Equality

• Status

• Opportunity

Fraternity

• Dignity of the individual

• Unity and integrity of the nation

42nd Constitutional Amendment, 1976

Three words were added to the Preamble:

• Socialist

• Secular

• Integrity

Kesavananda Bharati Case, 1973: Preamble is a part of the Constitution.

SSC STENOGRAPHER POLITY COMPLETE NOTES

3. FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Fundamental Rights are given in Part III of the Constitution.

They are contained in Articles 12–35.

There are currently 6 Fundamental Rights.

1. Right to Equality — Articles 14–18

Article 14

• Equality before law.

• Equal protection of laws.

Article 15

Prohibits discrimination on grounds of:

• Religion

• Race

• Caste

• Sex

• Place of birth

Article 16

• Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.

Article 17

• Abolition of untouchability.

Article 18

• Abolition of titles.

4. RIGHT TO FREEDOM — ARTICLES 19–22

Article 19

Provides six freedoms:

1. Freedom of speech and expression.

2. Freedom of peaceful assembly.

3. Freedom to form associations/unions.

4. Freedom of movement throughout India.

5. Freedom to reside and settle anywhere in India.

6. Freedom of profession, occupation, trade or business.

Article 20

Provides protection in respect of conviction for offences.

Article 21

Provides protection of:

Life and personal liberty.

Article 21A

Provides:

Right to Education

• Free and compulsory education.

• Children between 6–14 years.

Article 22

Provides protection against:

• Arrest

• Detention

5. RIGHT AGAINST EXPLOITATION — ARTICLES 23–24

Article 23

Prohibits:

• Human trafficking

• Begar

• Forced labour

Article 24

• No child below 14 years can be employed in a factory, mine or hazardous employment.

6. RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF RELIGION — ARTICLES 25–28

Article 25

• Freedom of conscience.

• Freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion.

Article 26

• Freedom to manage religious affairs.

Article 27

• No person can be compelled to pay taxes specifically for promotion of a particular religion.

Article 28

• Deals with religious instruction in educational institutions.

7. CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL RIGHTS — ARTICLES 29–30

Article 29

• Protection of language, script and culture.

Article 30

• Minorities have the right to establish and administer educational institutions.

8. RIGHT TO CONSTITUTIONAL REMEDIES

Article 32

• Allows citizens to approach the Supreme Court for enforcement of Fundamental Rights.

• Dr. B. R. Ambedkar called Article 32 the “Heart and Soul of the Constitution.”

9. WRITS

Supreme Court and High Courts can issue writs.

There are 5 types of writs.

1. Habeas Corpus

Meaning:

“Produce the body.”

Used mainly against illegal detention.

2. Mandamus

Meaning:

“We command.”

It orders a public authority to perform its legal duty.

3. Prohibition

Issued by a higher court to a lower court/tribunal to stop proceedings when it is acting beyond its jurisdiction.

4. Certiorari

Used by a higher court to quash an order of a lower court/tribunal.

5. Quo Warranto

Meaning:

“By what authority?”

Used to question the legal authority of a person holding a public office.

Trick

H-M-P-C-Q

H → Habeas Corpus
M → Mandamus
P → Prohibition
C → Certiorari
Q → Quo Warranto

10. FUNDAMENTAL DUTIES

Fundamental Duties are given in:

Part IVA

Article:

51A

Originally there were 10 Fundamental Duties.

At present there are 11 Fundamental Duties.

42nd Amendment Act, 1976

Added the first 10 Fundamental Duties.

86th Amendment Act, 2002

Added the 11th Fundamental Duty.

Parents/guardians should provide opportunities for education to children between 6–14 years.

Important: Fundamental Duties were inspired by the USSR Constitution.

11. DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY — DPSP

DPSP are given in:

Part IV

Articles:

36–51

Important point:

DPSP are not enforceable by courts.

Important Articles

Article 38

• Promote welfare of the people.

Article 39

• Adequate means of livelihood.

• Equal pay for equal work.

• Protection of economic interests.

Article 39A

• Equal justice.

• Free legal aid.

Article 40

• Organisation of village Panchayats.

Article 44

• Uniform Civil Code.

Article 45

• Early childhood care and education.

Article 46

• Promotion of educational and economic interests of weaker sections, especially SCs and STs.

Article 47

• Nutrition.

• Standard of living.

• Public health.

Article 48

• Agriculture and animal husbandry.

Article 48A

• Protection of environment.

Article 50

• Separation of judiciary from executive.

Article 51

• International peace and security.

SSC Trick

Fundamental Rights → Enforceable

DPSP → Non-enforceable

12. PRESIDENT OF INDIA

Article 52

There shall be a President of India.

The President is the constitutional head of India.

Election

The President is elected indirectly by an Electoral College consisting of:

• Elected members of Lok Sabha.

• Elected members of Rajya Sabha.

• Elected members of State Legislative Assemblies.

• Elected members of Delhi and Puducherry Legislative Assemblies.

Important Facts

• Term → 5 years

• Minimum age → 35 years

• Can be re-elected.

Important Articles

• Article 52 → President

• Article 53 → Executive power

• Article 54 → Election

• Article 55 → Manner of election

• Article 56 → Term

• Article 57 → Re-election

• Article 58 → Qualifications

• Article 61 → Impeachment

• Article 72 → Pardoning power

President's Veto Powers

Three important veto powers:

1. Absolute Veto

2. Suspensive Veto

3. Pocket Veto

13. VICE-PRESIDENT

Article 63

There shall be a Vice-President of India.

Important Facts

• Term → 5 years

• Minimum age → 35 years

• Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

• Elected by members of both Houses of Parliament.

Important Difference

President: Elected by elected MPs + elected MLAs of states/eligible UTs.

Vice-President: Elected by members of both Houses of Parliament.

SSC STENOGRAPHER POLITY COMPLETE NOTES

14. PRIME MINISTER AND COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

The Prime Minister is the real executive head of India.

Article 74

Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister aids and advises the President.

Article 75

Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to Lok Sabha.

91st Amendment Act, 2003

Total number of ministers, including the Prime Minister, cannot exceed:

15% of the total strength of Lok Sabha.

15. PARLIAMENT

Indian Parliament consists of:

President + Rajya Sabha + Lok Sabha

16. RAJYA SABHA

Rajya Sabha is the:

Upper House of Parliament.

Important facts:

• It is a Permanent House.

• It cannot be dissolved.

• Maximum constitutional strength → 250.

• 12 members can be nominated by the President.

• Nominated members have special knowledge/literary, scientific, artistic or social-service achievements.

• Normal term of a Rajya Sabha member → 6 years.

• One-third of members retire every 2 years.

• Minimum age → 30 years.

17. LOK SABHA

Lok Sabha is the:

Lower House of Parliament.

Important facts:

• Normal term → 5 years.

• Can be dissolved before completion of 5 years.

• Minimum age to become a Lok Sabha member → 25 years.

• Presiding officer → Speaker.

18. MONEY BILL

Article 110

Important points:

• Money Bill can be introduced only in Lok Sabha.

• President's recommendation is required.

• Rajya Sabha cannot reject or amend a Money Bill.

• Rajya Sabha must return it within 14 days.

• Lok Sabha Speaker decides whether a bill is a Money Bill.

19. BUDGET

Constitutional name:

Annual Financial Statement

Article 112

The Union Budget is presented in Parliament by the Finance Minister.

20. PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES

Public Accounts Committee — PAC

• Examines government expenditure.

• Examines CAG reports.

• Mainly deals with expenditure that has already taken place.

Estimates Committee

• Examines estimates of government expenditure.

• Suggests economies and improvements.

Committee on Public Undertakings

• Examines accounts and reports of public sector undertakings.

Easy Trick

PAC → Already spent

Estimates Committee → Estimated expenditure

SSC STENOGRAPHER POLITY COMPLETE NOTES

21. SUPREME COURT

Article 124

Deals with the establishment and constitution of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court is the highest court of India.

Retirement Age

Supreme Court judge:

65 years

High Court judge:

62 years

22. JUDICIAL REVIEW

Judicial Review means:

The courts can examine whether laws and executive actions are consistent with the Constitution.

The concept of Judicial Review was mainly borrowed from the:

USA

23. ATTORNEY GENERAL OF INDIA

Article 76

Attorney General is the:

Highest Law Officer of India.

Appointment

Appointed by:

President

Qualification

Must be qualified to become a:

Supreme Court Judge

24. COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL — CAG

Article 148

CAG = Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Appointed by:

President

Main function:

• Audits accounts of Union Government.

• Audits accounts of State Governments.

• Audits government expenditure as provided under law.

CAG is commonly called:

Guardian of the Public Purse.

25. ELECTION COMMISSION

Article 324

Election Commission conducts elections to:

• Lok Sabha

• Rajya Sabha

• State Legislatures

• President

• Vice-President

Important

Election Commission does not conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections.

These are conducted by:

State Election Commission

26. UPSC

Article 315

UPSC = Union Public Service Commission

Main functions include:

• Conducting examinations for recruitment to various Union services.

• Advising the government on recruitment-related matters.

Chairman and members are appointed by:

President

27. FINANCE COMMISSION

Article 280

Finance Commission is constituted by:

President

Normally constituted every:

5 years

Main function:

Recommend distribution of financial resources between:

Centre and States

28. GST COUNCIL

Article 279A

GST Council is headed by:

Union Finance Minister

It makes recommendations on matters related to GST.

29. CONSTITUTIONAL BODIES

Bodies created directly by the Constitution include:

• Election Commission

• UPSC

• State Public Service Commission

• Finance Commission

• CAG

• Attorney General

• Supreme Court

• High Courts

Important

NITI Aayog is neither a constitutional body nor a statutory body.

It is an:

Executive body

30. PANCHAYATI RAJ

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

Gave constitutional status to:

Panchayati Raj Institutions

Added:

Part IX

Three-Tier System

1. Gram Panchayat

2. Panchayat Samiti

3. Zila Parishad

Gram Sabha

Consists of people registered in the electoral rolls of the village/panchayat area.

31. MUNICIPALITIES

74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

Gave constitutional status to:

Municipalities

Added:

Part IX-A

Three types:

1. Nagar Panchayat

2. Municipal Council

3. Municipal Corporation

32. IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

1st Amendment — 1951

• Added the 9th Schedule.

• Introduced changes relating to Fundamental Rights and reasonable restrictions.

7th Amendment — 1956

• Related to reorganisation of states.

42nd Amendment — 1976

Known as:

“Mini Constitution.”

Important changes:

• Added Socialist to Preamble.

• Added Secular to Preamble.

• Added Integrity to Preamble.

• Added Fundamental Duties.

• Made several major constitutional changes.

44th Amendment — 1978

• Right to Property was removed from Fundamental Rights.

• It became a legal/constitutional right under Article 300A.

52nd Amendment — 1985

• Anti-Defection Law.

• Added 10th Schedule.

61st Amendment — 1988

Voting age reduced from:

21 years → 18 years

73rd Amendment — 1992

• Panchayati Raj.

74th Amendment — 1992

• Municipalities.

86th Amendment — 2002

• Right to Education.

• Added Article 21A.

91st Amendment — 2003

• Limit on Council of Ministers.

101st Amendment — 2016

• GST.

102nd Amendment — 2018

• Constitutional status to NCBC.

103rd Amendment — 2019

• 10% EWS reservation.

106th Amendment — 2023

• Provides for reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Legislative Assembly, subject to the constitutional conditions for its implementation.

33. EMERGENCY PROVISIONS

Emergency provisions are contained in:

Part XVIII

National Emergency — Article 352

Can be declared on the grounds of:

1. War

2. External aggression

3. Armed rebellion

44th Amendment

The term:

“Internal disturbance”

was replaced by:

“Armed rebellion.”

34. PRESIDENT'S RULE

Article 356

Also called:

• Constitutional Emergency

• State Emergency

It can be imposed when the constitutional machinery of a state fails.

35. FINANCIAL EMERGENCY

Article 360

Can be imposed when the financial stability or credit of India or any part of India is threatened.

Important SSC Fact:

Financial Emergency has never been imposed in India.

36. SCHEDULES OF THE CONSTITUTION

There are currently 12 Schedules.

1st Schedule

• States and Union Territories.

2nd Schedule

• Salaries, allowances and privileges of certain constitutional authorities.

3rd Schedule

• Oaths and affirmations.

4th Schedule

• Allocation of seats in Rajya Sabha.

5th Schedule

• Administration and control of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes.

6th Schedule

• Tribal areas in:

  • Assam

  • Meghalaya

  • Tripura

  • Mizoram

7th Schedule

Contains:

• Union List

• State List

• Concurrent List

8th Schedule

Contains 22 languages.

9th Schedule

Contains certain laws placed under constitutional protection, subject to judicial review as developed by the Supreme Court.

10th Schedule

• Anti-Defection Law.

11th Schedule

• Panchayats.

12th Schedule

• Municipalities.

37. MOST IMPORTANT ARTICLES FOR SSC STENO

Memorise these first:

• Article 14 → Equality before law

• Article 15 → Prohibition of discrimination

• Article 16 → Equality in public employment

• Article 17 → Abolition of untouchability

• Article 18 → Abolition of titles

• Article 19 → Six freedoms

• Article 21 → Life and personal liberty

• Article 21A → Right to Education

• Article 32 → Constitutional Remedies

• Article 40 → Village Panchayats

• Article 44 → Uniform Civil Code

• Article 48A → Environment

• Article 50 → Separation of judiciary and executive

• Article 51A → Fundamental Duties

• Article 52 → President

• Article 63 → Vice-President

• Article 74 → Council of Ministers

• Article 75 → Ministers

• Article 76 → Attorney General

• Article 110 → Money Bill

• Article 112 → Budget

• Article 123 → President's Ordinance

• Article 124 → Supreme Court

• Article 143 → President's consultation with Supreme Court

• Article 148 → CAG

• Article 155 → Governor

• Article 161 → Governor's pardoning power

• Article 168 → State Legislature

• Article 214 → High Court

• Article 280 → Finance Commission

• Article 300A → Right to Property

• Article 315 → UPSC/SPSC

• Article 324 → Election Commission

• Article 343 → Official language of Union

• Article 352 → National Emergency

• Article 356 → President's Rule

• Article 360 → Financial Emergency

• Article 368 → Constitutional Amendment

38. SSC STENO LAST-MINUTE REVISION

• Father of Indian Constitution → Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

• Constitutional Adviser → B. N. Rau

• First temporary Chairman of Constituent Assembly → Sachchidananda Sinha

• Permanent President of Constituent Assembly → Dr. Rajendra Prasad

• Constitution adopted → 26 November 1949

• Constitution enforced → 26 January 1950

• Fundamental Rights → Part III

• DPSP → Part IV

• Fundamental Duties → Part IVA

• Fundamental Duties → Article 51A

• Fundamental Rights → Articles 12–35

• DPSP → Articles 36–51

• Constitutional Remedies → Article 32

• Right to Education → Article 21A

• Right to Property → Article 300A

• President → Article 52

• Vice-President → Article 63

• Supreme Court → Article 124

• CAG → Article 148

• Election Commission → Article 324

• Finance Commission → Article 280

• UPSC → Article 315

• Money Bill → Article 110

• Budget → Article 112

• President's Rule → Article 356

• National Emergency → Article 352

• Financial Emergency → Article 360

• Constitutional Amendment → Article 368

• Panchayati Raj → 73rd Amendment

• Municipalities → 74th Amendment

• Anti-Defection → 10th Schedule

• GST → 101st Amendment

• Voting age 18 → 61st Amendment

• Fundamental Duties → 42nd Amendment

• Right to Education → 86th Amendment

• EWS reservation → 103rd Amendment

• Rajya Sabha → Permanent House

• Lok Sabha normal term → 5 years

• Rajya Sabha member's term → 6 years

• Lok Sabha minimum age → 25 years

• Rajya Sabha minimum age → 30 years

• President minimum age → 35 years

• President's term → 5 years

• Supreme Court judge retirement → 65 years

• High Court judge retirement → 62 years

• Money Bill → Lok Sabha only

• Money Bill certification → Lok Sabha Speaker

• Money Bill Rajya Sabha period → 14 days

• Council of Ministers responsible to → Lok Sabha

• Supreme Court writ → Article 32

• High Court writ → Article 226

• “Heart and Soul of Constitution” → Article 32

• Guardian of Public Purse → CAG

• Highest Law Officer → Attorney General

• Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha → Vice-President

• Constitutional Head → President

• Real Executive → Prime Minister + Council of Ministers

• Total Schedules → 12

• 8th Schedule → 22 Languages

🎯 SSC Steno Priority Order

If you have limited time, revise in this order:

1. Fundamental Rights
↓
2. Fundamental Duties + DPSP
↓
3. President + Vice-President + PM
↓
4. Parliament + Money Bill + Budget
↓
5. Supreme Court + High Court + Writs
↓
6. Constitutional Bodies
↓
7. Constitutional Amendments
↓
8. Schedules
↓
9. Emergency
↓
10. Panchayati Raj + Municipalities

This format is much better for making your own handwritten SSC Steno revision notes because you can directly learn the points without decoding tables.