TNPSC Group II · Bite-size lessons
Indian Polity
About 6 min · General Studies · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 406 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
The syllabus covers the entire constitutional and governance framework—from the Preamble to local self-government, from fundamental rights to anti-corruption institutions.
Key ideas
- Constitutional Supremacy: India follows constitutional supremacy, not parliamentary supremacy. Any law violating the Constitution can be struck down by courts through judicial review.
- Federal with Unitary Bias: India is a "Union of States" (Article 1)—federal in structure but with strong centralizing features like single citizenship, integrated judiciary, and emergency provisions.
- Separation of Powers: Legislature makes laws, Executive implements them, Judiciary interprets them. No organ can encroach on another's domain (basic structure doctrine).
- Fundamental Rights vs DPSPs: Fundamental Rights are justiciable (enforceable in court); Directive Principles are non-justiciable but fundamental in governance. Minerva Mills case established they are complementary.
- Parliamentary System: Executive is drawn from and accountable to the legislature. Collective responsibility of Council of Ministers to Lok Sabha/State Assembly.
Watch out for
- Confusing Article 32 and Article 226: Article 32 is a Fundamental Right (SC only); Article 226 is broader in scope (HC can issue writs for any legal right, not just FRs). Students wrongly assume both are identical.
- Assuming DPSPs are unimportant: DPSPs have been used to justify restrictions on FRs (property rights, reservation policies). Courts consider them while interpreting laws.
- Mixing up 73rd and 74th Amendments: 73rd = Panchayats (rural), 11th Schedule; 74th = Municipalities (urban), 12th Schedule. Remember: 73 comes before 74, rural comes before urban alphabetically.
Quick reference
- Preamble source: "We, the People of India"—popular sovereignty, not parliamentary grant.
- Money Bill certification: Speaker's decision is final; cannot be questioned in court.
- No-confidence motion: Moved only in Lok Sabha (not Rajya Sabha); needs simple majority.
- President's Rule maximum: 3 years (with parliamentary approval every 6 months); Bommai case limits misuse.
- RTI Act 2005: Section 4 mandates suo motu disclosure; 10 categories of exemption under Section 8(1) (clauses a–j).
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. The idea of a single Constitution for the Union and the States has been borrowed by India from which of the following countries?
2. Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the pardoning powers of the President of India?
3. The procedure for the removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court of India is regulated by which of the following?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 17 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
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