SSC CGL Polity · Free notes
Government Structure: SSC CGL Polity
Government Structure has 148 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank: 41 from the 2023 shifts, 48 from the 2024 shifts and 59 from the 2025 shifts, the most of any Polity chapter. Most questions give an Article number and ask what it does, or describe a power and ask whose it is, so the pages are Article tables for each organ of government. The 2025 shifts added a new topic: 26 questions on the three criminal laws of 2023 (BNS, BNSS and BSA), which replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Evidence Act. Where a question names a judge, a governor or an officer, the notes give the year, because those answers change.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Union Executive and Constitutional Bodies
29 PYQsThe President and Vice-President article by article, the law officers of the Union, and the constitutional bodies: the CAG, the Finance Commission, the Election Commission and the Public Service Commissions.
Parliament
24 PYQsThe two Houses and the Articles that set them up, how a Money Bill passes, the Rajya Sabha's special powers, and the committees and devices of parliamentary business.
Supreme Court and High Courts
32 PYQsThe Supreme Court's Articles and jurisdiction, the High Courts and the five writs, and the judges and judgments SSC has named, each with its year.
State Legislatures and Governors
27 PYQsThe Governor's appointment, oath and powers, the Chief Minister and the State Council of Ministers, the Advocate General, and the State Legislature with its Legislative Council.
New Criminal Laws and Other Acts
36 PYQsThe three criminal laws of 2023 (BNS, BNSS and BSA), which old law each replaced and what each changed, plus the other Acts and statutory bodies SSC has asked about.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 17 reference tables · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 17 reference tables · 20 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
President and Vice-President8 rows
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 54 | Election of the PresidentQ |
| 57 | President eligible for re-electionQ |
| 61 | Impeachment of the PresidentQ |
| 63 | There shall be a Vice-PresidentQ |
| 72 | President's power to pardonQ |
| 75 | Prime Minister appointed by the PresidentQ |
| 77 | Conduct of business of the Government of IndiaQ |
| 123 | President's power to make ordinancesQ |
Watch out for (5)
- One-fourth to sign, not one-third→ President and Vice-President
- The Chief Justice swears in the President, not the Vice-President→ President and Vice-President
- Attorney General for India, Advocate General for a State→ Law officers of the Union
- The CAG's term is six years→ CAG, Finance Commission, Election Commission and PSCs
- The President, not Parliament, regulates the UPSC's members→ CAG, Finance Commission, Election Commission and PSCs
Reference tables (4)
Watch out for (4)
- The Rajya Sabha is not dissolved→ The two Houses
- The Speaker decides, not the Finance Minister→ Money Bills and Financial Bills
- President's Rule needs both Houses→ The Rajya Sabha's special powers
- Elected, not nominated→ Committees, devices and delegated law
Reference tables (3)
High Courts and writs5 rows
| Writ | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Habeas corpus | Produce the detained person |
| Mandamus | Perform your public duty |
| Prohibition | Stop exceeding your jurisdiction |
| Certiorari | The order already passed is quashed |
| Quo warranto | By what authority do you hold office |
Watch out for (3)
- Water disputes are not under Article 131→ Supreme Court: Articles and jurisdiction
- Article 13, not 23, makes laws void→ High Courts and writs
- Khanna took office in 2024→ Judges and landmark cases
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (4)
- Pardon is Article 72 for the President, 161 for the Governor→ The Governor
- The Governor's term was never cut→ The Governor
- Responsible to the Assembly, not the Council→ Chief Minister, ministers and the Advocate General
- The Governor's nominations cannot be challenged→ The State Legislature
Reference tables (4)
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)3 rows
| New law | Replaced | Branch of law |
|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) | Indian Penal Code, 1860 | Offences and punishmentsQ |
| Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) | Code of Criminal Procedure | Criminal procedure |
| Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) | Indian Evidence Act, 1872 | Evidence |
Other Acts and statutory bodies6 rows
| Act or body | Year | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Epidemic Diseases Act | 1897 | Amended by ordinance in 2020Q |
| Hindu Succession Act | 1956 | Daughters' inheritance case of 2022Q |
| Environment (Protection) Act | 1986 | Central Government sets up authoritiesQ |
| Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act | 2016 | 21 disabilitiesQ |
| Essential Defence Services Act | 2021 | Bans strikes in defence unitsQ |
| Zonal Councils | 1956 | Union Home Minister chairsQ |
Watch out for (4)
- BNS is not procedure→ Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- 15 days is police custody, 60 and 90 are the outer limits→ Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS)
- Electronic records are primary, not secondary→ Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA)
- The Home Minister chairs, the chief ministers rotate→ Other Acts and statutory bodies
PYQ weightage by concept
17 concepts · 148 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
17 concepts · 148 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| CAG, Finance Commission, Election Commission and PSCs | 14 | 9% |
| President and Vice-President | 12 | 8% |
| Law officers of the Union | 3 | 2% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The two Houses | 9 | 6% |
| Money Bills and Financial Bills | 6 | 4% |
| The Rajya Sabha's special powers | 5 | 3% |
| Committees, devices and delegated law | 4 | 3% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Supreme Court: Articles and jurisdiction | 13 | 9% |
| Judges and landmark cases | 10 | 7% |
| High Courts and writs | 9 | 6% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Governor | 11 | 7% |
| The State Legislature | 9 | 6% |
| Chief Minister, ministers and the Advocate General | 7 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) | 11 | 7% |
| Other Acts and statutory bodies | 11 | 7% |
| Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) | 9 | 6% |
| Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) | 5 | 3% |
Test yourself on Government Structure — Parliament, Judiciary and Constitutional Bodies
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.