Indian Polity and Governance — CLAT Current Affairs & GK

A news passage says "the Bill was referred to a standing committee before being taken up by the Upper House." CLAT then asks which House is the Upper House, or who chairs it — facts the passage assumes you carry. Polity is the single richest source of static anchors in the section. This chapter builds the scaffolding: the three branches, the constitutional bodies, and the rights framework that recur across passages.

1. The three organs of government

The Constitution separates these functions while keeping them interlinked — the executive is drawn from and answerable to the legislature; the judiciary reviews both.

2. Parliament — the two Houses

• Lok Sabha (House of the People) — the Lower House; members directly elected; a maximum strength of 552; presided over by the Speaker. A government must hold its confidence.
• Rajya Sabha (Council of States) — the Upper House; a permanent body (never fully dissolved, one-third retire every two years); the Vice-President is its ex-officio Chairman.
• A Money Bill can originate only in the Lok Sabha; the Rajya Sabha can only recommend changes.

$\text{Bill passed by both Houses}+\text{President’s assent}=\text{Act}$

3. The Union executive

• President — the constitutional head of state; acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers; assents to Bills; is elected by an electoral college.
• Prime Minister — the head of government; leader of the majority in the Lok Sabha; heads the Council of Ministers.
• Council of Ministers — collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
• Vice-President — second-highest office; ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The President reigns; the Prime Minister and Council rule — real executive power lies with the elected government.

4. The judiciary

• Supreme Court — apex court, headed by the Chief Justice of India; guardian of the Constitution; its writ jurisdiction under Article 32 enforces fundamental rights.
• High Courts — one for each state (or group of states); wider writ jurisdiction under Article 226.
• Judicial review — courts can strike down laws that violate the Constitution.
• Judges are appointed through the collegium system, headed by the CJI.

5. Constitutional and statutory bodies

CLAT frequently probes which body does what:

Note the distinction: the ECI, CAG, UPSC and Finance Commission are constitutional bodies; NITI Aayog and the CBI are not.

6. The rights framework

• Fundamental Rights (Part III) — enforceable rights such as equality (14), freedoms (19), life and liberty (21); enforced by the courts.
• Directive Principles (Part IV) — non-justiciable goals guiding the state.
• Fundamental Duties (Part IVA) — duties of citizens, added by the 42nd Amendment.

For the legal-reasoning depth on rights, see the companion chapter Constitution & Fundamental Rights.

7. Amendment and federal structure

• The Constitution is amended under Article 368; some changes also need ratification by half the states.
• India is a union of states with a strong Centre — a quasi-federal structure.
• The basic structure doctrine limits Parliament's amending power: it cannot destroy the Constitution's core features.

8. Exam protocol

1. Treat polity as your static anchor bank — most linked questions come from here.
2. Fix the two Houses: Lok Sabha (Speaker, Money Bills) vs Rajya Sabha (Vice-President, permanent).
3. Separate head of state (President) from head of government (Prime Minister).
4. Know which bodies are constitutional (ECI, CAG, UPSC, Finance Commission) and which are not.
5. Attach the key articles — 14, 19, 21, 32, 226, 324, 368 — to their functions.
6. Link a passage's event to the institution and article it assumes.