Polity Notes

 

No.	Term	Definition	Example	Year of Origin
1	Historical Underpinnings of the Constitution	The historical events, movements, and influences that shaped the Indian Constitution, including colonial laws and freedom struggle.	Government of India Act, 1935; Indian Independence Act, 1947.	1950 (Constitution enacted)
2	Making of the Constitution	The process of drafting the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly, including debates and contributions of key figures.	Constituent Assembly debates led by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.	1946–1950
3	Salient Features of the Constitution	Key characteristics of the Indian Constitution, such as its length, federal structure, and blend of rigidity and flexibility.	Parliamentary democracy, fundamental rights.	1950
4	Preamble	The introductory statement outlining the Constitution’s objectives and guiding principles.	“We, the People of India… Justice, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”	1950
5	Indian Union and its Territories	The organization of India as a union of states and territories, with provisions for reorganization.	Article 1 defines India as a Union of States.	1950
6	Citizenship	Legal status and rights of individuals as citizens of India, including acquisition and termination.	Citizenship Act, 1955 governs citizenship by birth, descent, etc.	1950
7	Fundamental Rights	Basic rights guaranteed to citizens, such as equality, freedom, and protection against exploitation.	Right to Equality (Articles 14–18).	1950
8	Directive Principles of State Policy	Guidelines for the state to promote welfare and achieve socio-economic justice, non-justiciable.	Article 39: Equal pay for equal work.	1950
9	Fundamental Duties	Duties of citizens to uphold the Constitution and promote harmony, non-justiciable.	Article 51A: Respect the national flag.	1976 (42nd Amendment)
10	System of the Government	The structure of governance, including parliamentary democracy and separation of powers.	Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha as legislative bodies.	1950
11	Federal System	Division of powers between the Union and states, with a strong central authority.	Union List, State List, Concurrent List.	1950
12	Parliament	The supreme legislative body consisting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.	Passing the Finance Bill annually.	1950
13	Parliamentary Committees	Specialized groups to scrutinize legislation and government functioning.	Public Accounts Committee reviews government expenditure.	1950
14	Parliamentary Forums and Groups	Platforms for MPs to discuss specific issues like water management or youth affairs.	Parliamentary Forum on Disaster Management.	2000s (varied by forum)
15	State Legislature	Legislative bodies in states, either unicameral or bicameral.	Uttar Pradesh has a Legislative Assembly and Council.	1950
16	President	The ceremonial head of state with executive, legislative, and emergency powers.	President appoints the Prime Minister.	1950
17	Vice-President	The second-highest constitutional office, ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha.	Vice-President presides over Rajya Sabha sessions.	1950
18	Prime Minister	The head of government, leading the Council of Ministers.	Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings.	1950
19	Council of Ministers	The group of ministers advising the President, led by the Prime Minister.	Home Minister oversees internal security.	1950
20	Cabinet Committees	Smaller groups of ministers for decision-making on specific issues.	Cabinet Committee on Security handles defense matters.	1950
21	Governor	The constitutional head of a state, appointed by the President.	Governor assents to state bills.	1950
22	Chief Minister	The head of the state government, leading the state Council of Ministers.	Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu oversees state policies.	1950
23	Council of Ministers (State)	Ministers assisting the Chief Minister in state governance.	State Education Minister manages school policies.	1950
24	Supreme Court	The apex judicial body with powers of judicial review and constitutional interpretation.	Kesavananda Bharati case (1973).	1950
25	Judicial Review	The judiciary’s power to review laws and executive actions for constitutionality.	Striking down laws violating fundamental rights.	1950
26	Judicial Activism	Judiciary taking an active role in protecting rights and public interest.	Banning firecrackers in Delhi for pollution control.	1980s (emerged)
27	Public Interest Litigation	Legal action initiated for public welfare, allowing broader access to justice.	PIL for cleaning the Ganga River.	1980s
28	Separation of Powers	Division of government functions among legislature, executive, and judiciary.	Judiciary checking unconstitutional laws.	1950
29	High Courts	The highest judicial authority in states, below the Supreme Court.	Bombay High Court oversees Maharashtra cases.	1950
30	Subordinate Courts	Lower courts handling civil and criminal cases under High Courts.	District Courts handling local disputes.	1950
31	Tribunals	Specialized bodies for resolving disputes in specific areas like taxation.	Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.	1941 (first tribunal)
32	Lok Adalats	Informal courts for settling disputes through conciliation.	Settling motor accident claims amicably.	1980s
33	National Legal Services Authority of India	Body providing free legal aid and promoting Lok Adalats.	Free legal aid for economically weaker sections.	1995
34	Gram Nyayalayas	Village-level courts for rural dispute resolution.	Resolving land disputes in villages.	2008
35	Alternate Dispute Resolution	Mechanisms like arbitration and mediation to resolve disputes outside courts.	Arbitration in commercial disputes.	1996 (Arbitration Act)
36	Union-State Relations	Division of powers and coordination between central and state governments.	GST implementation requiring Union-state cooperation.	1950
37	Inter-State Relations	Mechanisms for cooperation and dispute resolution between states.	Inter-State water disputes like Cauvery.	1950
38	Inter-State Council	Constitutional body to promote coordination between states and the Union.	Discussing GST issues among states.	1990
39	Zonal Councils	Regional bodies for interstate cooperation on socio-economic issues.	Northern Zonal Council addressing regional development.	1956
40	Emergency Provisions	Constitutional provisions for national, state, or financial emergencies.	National Emergency declared in 1975.	1950
41	Amendment to the Constitution	Process to amend the Constitution under Article 368.	42nd Amendment (1976) added Fundamental Duties.	1950
42	Basic Structure Doctrine	Principle that certain core features of the Constitution cannot be amended.	Kesavananda Bharati case defined this doctrine.	1973
43	Panchayati Raj Institutes	Three-tier system of rural local governance.	Gram Panchayats managing village affairs.	1992 (73rd Amendment)
44	Urban Local Bodies	Local governance bodies for urban areas like municipalities.	Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.	1992 (74th Amendment)
45	Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas	Special provisions for tribal regions under the Fifth and Sixth Schedules.	Tribal autonomy in Jharkhand’s scheduled areas.	1950
46	Union Territories	Centrally administered regions with varying degrees of autonomy.	Delhi’s governance under a Lieutenant Governor.	1950
47	Special Provision for Some States	Constitutional provisions for specific states like Jammu & Kashmir or Nagaland.	Article 370 (repealed in 2019).	1950
48	Union Public Service Commission	Constitutional body for recruiting civil servants at the Union level.	Conducting IAS examinations.	1950
49	State Public Service Commission	Body for recruiting state civil servants.	UPPSC conducting state-level exams.	1950
50	Election Commission of India	Constitutional body overseeing elections nationwide.	Conducting Lok Sabha elections.	1950
51	State Election Commission	Body managing local body elections in states.	Overseeing municipal elections in Kerala.	1992
52	Attorney General of India	Chief legal advisor to the Union government.	Representing the government in Supreme Court cases.	1950
53	Advocate General of the State	Chief legal advisor to state governments.	Advising Tamil Nadu government on legal matters.	1950
54	Comptroller and Auditor General of India	Constitutional body auditing government accounts.	Auditing Union government expenditure.	1950
55	Finance Commission	Body for recommending revenue sharing between Union and states.	15th Finance Commission (2020–2025).	1950
56	Goods and Services Tax Council	Body for decision-making on GST policies.	Setting GST rates for goods and services.	2016
57	National Commission for Scheduled Castes	Body to safeguard rights of Scheduled Castes.	Addressing discrimination complaints.	2004
58	National Commission for Scheduled Tribes	Body to protect rights of Scheduled Tribes.	Monitoring tribal welfare schemes.	2004
59	National Commission for Backward Classes	Body to promote welfare of Other Backward Classes.	Recommending OBC reservations.	1993
60	Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities	Officer to safeguard rights of linguistic minorities.	Addressing language-based discrimination.	1957
61	Central Information Commission	Body overseeing implementation of the Right to Information Act.	Handling RTI appeals at the central level.	2005
62	State Information Commission	Body managing RTI appeals at the state level.	Resolving RTI disputes in Maharashtra.	2005
63	National Human Rights Commission	Body to protect and promote human rights.	Investigating custodial deaths.	1993
64	State Human Rights Commission	State-level body for human rights protection.	Addressing human rights violations in Gujarat.	1993
65	Central Vigilance Commission	Body to combat corruption in government.	Overseeing vigilance in public sector undertakings.	1964
66	Central Bureau of Investigation	Agency investigating major crimes and corruption cases.	Probing 2G spectrum scam.	1963
67	Lokpal and Lokayukta in India	Anti-corruption ombudsman at national and state levels.	Lokpal investigating public servant corruption.	2013 (Lokpal Act)
68	National Investigation Agency	Agency for investigating terrorism and national security cases.	Investigating Pulwama attack (2019).	2008
69	National Commission for Women	Body to protect and promote women’s rights.	Addressing domestic violence complaints.	1992
70	National Commission for Protection of Child Rights	Body to safeguard child rights.	Monitoring child labor laws.	2005
71	National Commission For Minorities	Body to protect minority community rights.	Addressing issues of religious minorities.	1992
72	Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities	Officer to protect rights of persons with disabilities.	Ensuring accessibility in public places.	1995
73	National Green Tribunal	Tribunal for environmental dispute resolution.	Ruling on pollution cases like Yamuna River.	2010
74	National Disaster Management Authority	Body for coordinating disaster response and mitigation.	Managing relief during Cyclone Amphan (2020).	2005
75	National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission	Body for resolving consumer disputes.	Handling cases of defective products.	1988
76	Food Safety and Standards Authority of India	Body regulating food safety and standards.	Enforcing food quality standards.	2006
77	Competition Commission of India	Body to promote fair competition and prevent monopolies.	Investigating anti-competitive practices by companies.	2002
78	NITI Aayog	Policy think tank replacing the Planning Commission.	Formulating National Development Agenda.	2015
79	Law Commission of India	Advisory body for legal reforms.	Recommending amendments to criminal laws.	1955 (First Commission)
80	Official Language	Constitutional provisions for languages, primarily Hindi and English.	Article 343: Hindi as the official language.	1950
81	Cooperative Societies in India	Societies for mutual economic benefit, governed by state laws.	Amul as a cooperative dairy model.	1912 (first law)
82	Special Provisions Relating to Certain Classes and Vulnerable Sections	Constitutional provisions for protecting SCs, STs, and OBCs.	Reservations in education and jobs.	1950
83	Public Services	Services under Union and state governments, governed by recruitment rules.	Indian Administrative Service (IAS).	1950
84	Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within the Territory of India	Constitutional provisions for free trade across states.	Article 301 ensures free trade.	1950
85	Rights and Liabilities of the Government	Legal framework for government rights and obligations.	Government liability in contract disputes.	1950
86	Election Laws	Laws governing the conduct of elections in India.	Representation of the People Act, 1951.	1950–1951
87	Anti Defection Law	Law to prevent elected representatives from switching parties.	Disqualification under the 10th Schedule.	1985
88	Criminalisation of Politics	The issue of elected representatives with criminal backgrounds.	Candidates with pending criminal cases contesting elections.	1990s (emerged as issue)
89	Electoral Reforms	Measures to improve transparency and fairness in elections.	Introduction of VVPAT in elections.	Ongoing (since 1950)
90	Pressure Groups	Organized groups influencing policy without contesting elections.	Farmers’ unions demanding MSP laws.	1950s (emerged)
91	Political Parties	Organized groups contesting elections and forming governments.	Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).	1950
92	Regional Parties	Political parties with influence limited to specific states or regions.	Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in Tamil Nadu.	1950s (emerged)
93	Voting Behaviour	Patterns and factors influencing how citizens vote.	Caste-based voting in Uttar Pradesh.	1950s (emerged)
94	Coalition Government	Government formed by multiple parties when no single party has a majority.	UPA government (2004–2014).	1989 (emerged prominently)