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UPSC Law Optional syllabus, Paper I and Paper II

Law Optional Syllabus

Law optional in UPSC Mains has two papers of 250 marks each (500 in all), and each paper is split into Part A and Part B, each with its own syllabus. Paper I: Part A is Constitutional Law and Administrative Law; Part B is International Law. Paper II: Part A is Law of Crimes and Law of Torts; Part B is Law of Contracts and Mercantile Law, and Contemporary Legal Developments. The full syllabus is below, subject by subject, with the PDF to download; for what to study in each topic, see the syllabus analysis.

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Syllabus at a glance

Two papers, each in two parts, seven subjects in all. Tap a subject to jump to its topics.

Paper I

3 subjects · 33 topics. Part A: Constitutional Law, Administrative Law. Part B: International Law.

Part A

Constitutional Law

Paper I · Part A · 13 topics

  1. Constitution and Constitutionalism: The distinctive features of the Constitution.
  2. Fundamental Rights—Public interest litigation; Legal Aid; Legal services authority.
  3. Relationship between Fundamental rights, Directive principles and Fundamental duties.
  4. Constitutional Position of the President and relation with the Council of Ministers.
  5. Governor and his powers.
  6. Supreme Court and the High Courts:
    • (a) Appointments and transfer.
    • (b) Powers, functions and jurisdiction.
  7. Centre, States and local bodies:
    • Distribution of Legislative Powers between the union and the states
    • Administrative relationship among Union, State and Local Bodies.
  8. Eminent domain-State property-common property-community property.
  9. Legislative powers, privileges and immunities.
  10. Services under the Union and the States:
    • Recruitment and conditions of services; Constitutional safeguards; Administrative tribunals.
  11. Union Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commissions—Power and functions.
  12. Election Commission—Power and functions.
  13. Emergency provisions. Amendment of the Constitution.
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Part B

International Law

Paper I · Part B · 15 topics

  1. Nature and Definition of International Law.
  2. Relationship between International Law and Municipal Law.
  3. State Recognition and State Succession.
  4. Law of the sea: Inland Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and High Seas.
  5. Individuals: Nationality, statelessness; Human Rights and procedures available for their enforcement.
  6. Territorial jurisdiction of States, Extradition and Asylum.
  7. Treaties : Formation, application, termination and reservation.
  8. United Nations : Its principal organs, powers and functions and reform.
  9. Peaceful settlement of disputes—different modes.
  10. Lawful recourse to force : aggressions, self-defence, intervention.
  11. Fundamental principles of international humanitarian law—International conventions and contemporary developments.
  12. Legality of the use of nuclear weapons; ban on testing of nuclear weapons; Nuclear non- proliferation treaty, CTST.
  13. International Terrorism, State sponsored terrorism, Hijacking, International Criminal Court.
  14. New International Economic Order and Monetary Law : WTO, TRIPS, GATT, IMF, World Bank.
  15. Protection and Improvement of the Human Environment : International Efforts.
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Paper II

4 subjects · 50 topics. Part A: Law of Crimes, Law of Torts. Part B: Law of Contracts and Mercantile Law, Contemporary Legal Developments.

Part A

Law of Crimes

Paper II · Part A · 16 topics

  1. General principles of Criminal liability : mens rea and actus reus, mens rea in statutory offences.
  2. Kinds of punishment and emerging trends as to abolition of capital punishment.
  3. Preparations and criminal attempt.
  4. General exceptions.
  5. Joint and constructive liability.
  6. Abetment.
  7. Criminal conspiracy.
  8. Offences against the State.
  9. Offences against public tranquility.
  10. Offences against human body.
  11. Offences against property.
  12. Offences against women.
  13. Defamation.
  14. Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
  15. Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955 and subsequent legislative developments.
  16. Plea bargaining.
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Part B

Law of Contracts and Mercantile Law

Paper II · Part B · 13 topics

  1. Nature and formation of contract/E-contract.
  2. Factors vitiating free consent.
  3. Void, voidable, illegal and unenforceable agreements.
  4. Performance and discharge of contracts.
  5. Quasi-contracts.
  6. Consequences of breach of contract.
  7. Contract of indemnity, guarantee and insurance.
  8. Contract of agency.
  9. Sale of goods and hire purchase.
  10. Formation and dissolution of partnership.
  11. Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
  12. Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
  13. Standard form contracts.
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Download the syllabus PDF

The same UPSC law optional syllabus as above, Paper I and Paper II, in one PDF file. Free, no sign-up. For the depth to study in each topic, read the subject-wise syllabus analysis.

Download syllabus PDF Syllabus analysis

Syllabus analysis: what to study in each topic

One analysis per subject of the syllabus, Paper I and Paper II: what type of questions are asked and which sub-topics matter. Each card also links to that subject's topics in the syllabus text above.

Paper I 3 subjects

Paper II 4 subjects

How to use this syllabus

Read the topics first, then see what is asked from each of them and how it is taught.

  • Syllabus Analysis

    Subject-wise analysis: what type of questions are asked and which sub-topics have to be studied.

    See Here

  • Previous Paper (Topic Wise)

    Previous year questions arranged topic wise, so you can see what is asked from each syllabus topic.

    See Here

  • Law Optional Notes

    Class notes of the Foundation batch by Aditya Tiwari Sir, arranged topic by topic as PDFs.

    See Here

  • Free Lectures

    Syllabus explanation videos of each topic of each subject, arranged subject by subject.

    See Here

Law optional syllabus: FAQ

How many papers does the UPSC Law Optional syllabus have?

2: Paper I and Paper II. Each paper has 2 parts, Part A and Part B. Both papers are listed on this page as text, subject by subject.

How many subjects are there in the Law Optional syllabus?

7 subjects, with 83 listed topics in all. Paper I has Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and International Law; Paper II has Law of Crimes, Law of Torts, Law of Contracts and Mercantile Law and Contemporary Legal Developments.

Where do I download the UPSC law optional syllabus PDF?

Use the "Download syllabus PDF" button at the top of this page or in the download section. It is the same file; no sign-up is needed.

Where do I find what to study in each topic?

On the syllabus analysis page, which links the subject-wise analysis of all 7 subjects: what type of questions are asked and which sub-topics have to be studied. Each subject block above also has a "Syllabus analysis" link.

Prepare this syllabus with De Facto IAS

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