March 27, 202614 min read

Important Articles of Indian Constitution for Competitive Exams 2026: Must-Know List for UPSC, SSC and Banking

Complete list of important Indian Constitution articles frequently asked in UPSC, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, Banking, and State PSC exams — Fundamental Rights, DPSP, President, Parliament, Judiciary, Emergency, Panchayati Raj, and Schedules.

Indian Constitution polity competitive exams UPSC polity SSC GK banking GK fundamental rights constitutional articles

Constitutional articles are tested in virtually every government exam in India — UPSC Prelims and Mains, SSC CGL/CHSL/MTS General Awareness, Banking (IBPS PO/Clerk, SBI PO) General Knowledge, State PSC, Railway NTPC, and defence exams. The problem is that the Constitution has 395 original articles (now 470+ with amendments), and memorising all of them is neither possible nor necessary. Here's the focused list of articles that actually appear in exams, organised by topic so you can learn them logically rather than numerically.

Exam-Wise Weightage of Polity

Before diving into the articles, let's understand how much Polity matters across exams:

Exam	Polity Weightage	Typical Questions	What They Ask
UPSC Prelims (GS Paper I)	15-20%	15-20 questions	Conceptual + application-based
UPSC Mains (GS Paper II)	Entire paper	Full paper on Governance, Constitution, Polity	Analytical essays and answers
SSC CGL/CHSL (GK)	10-15%	3-5 questions	Direct factual — "Article X deals with..."
IBPS PO/Clerk (GA)	5-10%	2-4 questions	Direct factual + current affairs linkage
State PSC Prelims	15-25%	10-20 questions	Similar to UPSC but state-specific additions
Railway NTPC (GK)	5-10%	2-4 questions	Direct factual
NDA (GAT)	5-8%	3-5 questions	Basic factual

Part III — Fundamental Rights (Articles 12-35)

This is the most frequently tested section across all exams. Learn every article here.

Article	Subject	Exam Importance
Art 12	Definition of "State"	UPSC Mains — who is bound by FR
Art 13	Laws inconsistent with FR are void	UPSC — judicial review basis
Art 14	Equality before law and equal protection of laws	All exams — most tested article
Art 15	Prohibition of discrimination (religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth)	All exams
Art 16	Equality of opportunity in public employment	SSC/Banking — reservation basis
Art 17	Abolition of untouchability	All exams
Art 18	Abolition of titles (except military/academic)	SSC/Banking
Art 19	Six freedoms (speech, assembly, movement, residence, profession, association)	All exams — 6 freedoms list is a favourite
Art 20	Protection against conviction (ex post facto law, double jeopardy, self-incrimination)	UPSC — cannot be suspended even during Emergency
Art 21	Right to life and personal liberty	Most important article — expanded by Supreme Court
Art 21A	Right to education (6-14 years) — added by 86th Amendment	All exams
Art 22	Protection against arrest and detention	UPSC — preventive detention provisions
Art 23	Prohibition of human trafficking and forced labour	All exams
Art 24	Prohibition of child labour (below 14 years in factories/mines/hazardous)	All exams
Art 25-28	Freedom of religion (practice, manage religious institutions, no religious tax, no religious instruction in state-funded schools)	UPSC + State PSC
Art 29-30	Cultural and educational rights (minorities)	All exams — Art 30 minority institutions
Art 32	Right to Constitutional Remedies (Ambedkar called it "Heart and Soul" of Constitution)	All exams — 5 writs

The 5 Writs under Article 32 (and Article 226 for High Courts):

Writ	Purpose	Memory Aid
Habeas Corpus	Produce the detained person before court	"Have the body"
Mandamus	Command a public authority to perform duty	"We command"
Prohibition	Higher court prohibits lower court from exceeding jurisdiction	Stop overstepping
Certiorari	Higher court quashes order of lower court	Transfer up for review
Quo Warranto	Challenge a person's right to hold public office	"By what authority?"

Part IV — Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36-51)

DPSPs are non-justiciable (cannot be enforced by courts) but guide governance. Frequently tested in UPSC and State PSC.

Article	Subject	Key Point
Art 36	Definition of "State" (same as Art 12)	Links DPSP to state action
Art 37	DPSPs not enforceable by courts but fundamental in governance	Nature of DPSPs
Art 38	State to secure social order for welfare	Minimise inequality
Art 39	Policy principles — equal pay, right to livelihood, wealth distribution	39(a) to 39(f) — frequently tested sub-clauses
Art 39A	Free legal aid (added by 42nd Amendment)	Access to justice
Art 40	Organisation of village Panchayats	Basis for 73rd Amendment
Art 41	Right to work, education, public assistance	Welfare state principle
Art 43	Living wage for workers	Workers' rights
Art 44	Uniform Civil Code	Highly debated — UPSC favourite
Art 45	Early childhood care (originally free education, now modified by 86th Amendment)	Education policy
Art 46	Promotion of educational interests of SC/ST	Affirmative action basis
Art 47	Prohibition of intoxicating drinks and drugs	State policy on prohibition
Art 48	Organisation of agriculture and animal husbandry	Cow protection basis
Art 48A	Protection of environment and forests (added by 42nd Amendment)	Environmental law basis
Art 50	Separation of judiciary from executive	Independence of judiciary
Art 51	Promotion of international peace	Foreign policy principle

Part IVA — Fundamental Duties (Article 51A)

Added by the 42nd Amendment (1976) on recommendation of Swaran Singh Committee. Originally 10 duties, 11th added by 86th Amendment (2002).

All 11 Fundamental Duties are frequently asked as a list question in SSC and Banking exams. The key ones:

51A(a) — Abide by the Constitution, respect the Flag and National Anthem
51A(b) — Cherish the noble ideals of the freedom struggle
51A(e) — Promote harmony and brotherhood
51A(g) — Protect natural environment (forests, lakes, rivers, wildlife)
51A(h) — Develop scientific temper and humanism
51A(i) — Safeguard public property
51A(k) — Parent/guardian to provide education to child aged 6-14 (added by 86th Amendment, 2002)

The Executive — President, PM, Governor (Articles 52-167)

Article	Subject	Exam Relevance
Art 52	President of India	Basic provision
Art 53	Executive power vested in President	Nominal head concept
Art 54	Election of President (Electoral College)	All exams — who votes?
Art 55	Manner of President's election (proportional representation, single transferable vote)	UPSC
Art 56	Term of office — 5 years	Basic fact
Art 61	Impeachment of President	UPSC — process and grounds
Art 72	Pardoning power of President	All exams — pardon, commute, remit, respite, reprieve
Art 74	Council of Ministers to aid and advise President	President acts on PM's advice
Art 75	PM appointed by President, Council responsible to Lok Sabha	All exams
Art 76	Attorney General of India	Appointment, duties
Art 112	Annual Financial Statement (Union Budget)	Banking/SSC
Art 123	Ordinance-making power of President	All exams — when Parliament not in session
Art 153	Governor of State	State executive
Art 154	Executive power of State vested in Governor	Parallel to Art 53
Art 155-156	Appointment and term of Governor (appointed by President, serves at pleasure)	UPSC — no fixed term
Art 161	Pardoning power of Governor	Compare with Art 72 — Governor cannot pardon death sentence
Art 163-164	CM and Council of Ministers at state level	Parallel to Art 74-75

Parliament and State Legislature (Articles 79-212)

Article	Subject	Key Point
Art 79	Constitution of Parliament (President + Lok Sabha + Rajya Sabha)	Parliament is not just two houses
Art 80	Composition of Rajya Sabha (250 members — 238 elected + 12 nominated)	All exams
Art 81	Composition of Lok Sabha (max 552 — 530 states + 20 UTs + 2 Anglo-Indians, now discontinued)	All exams
Art 83	Duration — RS continuous, LS 5 years	Term comparison
Art 100	Voting — majority of members present and voting	Quorum = 1/10th
Art 108	Joint sitting of both Houses (Speaker presides)	When and how — 3 occasions so far
Art 110	Definition of Money Bill	All exams — Speaker's decision final
Art 112	Annual Financial Statement (Budget)	Banking exams
Art 368	Power of Parliament to amend the Constitution	All exams — amendment types

Judiciary (Articles 124-147, 214-231)

Article	Subject	Exam Relevance
Art 124	Establishment of Supreme Court	Appointment of judges
Art 125	Salaries of SC judges	Charged on Consolidated Fund
Art 129	SC as Court of Record	Can punish for contempt
Art 131	Original jurisdiction of SC (Centre-State, State-State disputes)	UPSC
Art 132-134	Appellate jurisdiction (constitutional, civil, criminal)	UPSC
Art 136	Special Leave to Appeal (SLP)	SC can hear any case from any court
Art 137	Review of SC judgments	SC can review its own judgments
Art 141	Law declared by SC binding on all courts	Judicial precedent
Art 143	Advisory jurisdiction (President can seek SC opinion)	UPSC
Art 214	High Court for each State	State judiciary
Art 226	Writ jurisdiction of High Courts (wider than SC — Art 32)	All exams — HC writs for any purpose, not just FR

Emergency Provisions (Articles 352-360)

Article	Type of Emergency	Key Details
Art 352	National Emergency (war, external aggression, armed rebellion)	Proclaimed by President on Cabinet's written advice; FR suspended except Art 20 and 21
Art 356	President's Rule (State Emergency)	Failure of constitutional machinery in state; max 3 years with Parliamentary approval every 6 months
Art 360	Financial Emergency	Never proclaimed in India's history

Exam favourite: Article 352 has been proclaimed 3 times (1962, 1971, 1975). Article 356 has been used 100+ times. Article 360 has never been used.

Panchayati Raj and Municipalities (Articles 243-243ZG)

Added by 73rd Amendment (Panchayats) and 74th Amendment (Municipalities) in 1992.

Article	Subject	Key Point
Art 243B	Constitution of Panchayats	Three-tier structure
Art 243C	Composition (elected members)	Direct election
Art 243D	Reservation of seats (SC/ST/Women)	1/3rd reservation for women
Art 243E	Duration of Panchayats (5 years)	Elections within 6 months of dissolution
Art 243G	Powers and functions	11th Schedule (29 subjects)
Art 243I	Finance Commission for Panchayats	State Finance Commission
Art 243P-ZG	Municipalities (parallel provisions)	12th Schedule (18 subjects)

The 12 Schedules — Quick Reference

Schedule	Subject	Exam Relevance
1st	States and UTs with territories	Updated with reorganisation
2nd	Salaries of President, Governors, Judges, CAG	Pay provisions
3rd	Oaths and affirmations	Forms of oath
4th	Rajya Sabha seat allocation to states	Population-based
5th	Administration of Scheduled Areas and Tribes	Tribal areas
6th	Administration of Tribal Areas in NE states (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram)	Autonomous councils
7th	Union List (100), State List (61), Concurrent List (52)	Most important schedule — all exams
8th	22 Recognised Languages (originally 14)	Language policy
9th	Acts protected from judicial review (added by 1st Amendment)	Land reform laws
10th	Anti-defection provisions (added by 52nd Amendment)	Disqualification of legislators
11th	Powers of Panchayats (29 subjects)	73rd Amendment
12th	Powers of Municipalities (18 subjects)	74th Amendment

Memory Tricks — How to Remember Articles by Topic

Don't try to memorise article numbers in sequence. Instead, group them:

FR block: 14-32 — Remember "14 to 32, rights for me and you"
DPSP block: 36-51 — Starts right after FR ends
President block: 52-78 — "52 starts the President"
PM block: 74-75 — "74-75, PM arrives"
Emergency block: 352, 356, 360 — "352-356-360, emergencies in a row"
Amendment: 368 — "368, amend the state"

For SSC/Banking exams: Focus on direct article-topic matching. Questions are typically: "Article 21 deals with ___" or "Right to Constitutional Remedies is under Article ___." For UPSC: Go beyond memorisation. Understand judicial interpretations (Maneka Gandhi case expanded Art 21, Kesavananda Bharati case established Basic Structure doctrine under Art 368, SR Bommai case restricted Art 356 misuse).

Important Constitutional Amendments for Exams

Amendment	Year	Subject
1st	1951	Added 9th Schedule; restrictions on FR for land reform
7th	1956	States reorganisation
24th	1971	Parliament can amend FR (response to Golaknath case)
42nd	1976	"Mini Constitution" — added DPSP primacy, Fundamental Duties, changed Preamble
44th	1978	Reversed many 42nd Amendment changes; Right to Property removed from FR
52nd	1985	Anti-defection law (10th Schedule)
61st	1989	Voting age reduced from 21 to 18
73rd	1992	Panchayati Raj institutions
74th	1992	Municipalities
86th	2002	Right to Education (Art 21A), 11th Fundamental Duty
101st	2016	GST (Goods and Services Tax)
103rd	2019	10% EWS reservation
104th	2020	Extended SC/ST reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies to 2030

Frequently Asked Questions

How many articles should I memorise for SSC CGL/CHSL? For SSC exams, focus on approximately 40-50 key articles — primarily Fundamental Rights (Art 14-32), Emergency (352, 356, 360), President (52-72), PM (74-75), Governor (153-161), and Amendment (368). SSC questions are direct and factual, so knowing the article-topic pairing is sufficient. Is Polity asked in IBPS PO and SBI PO exams? Yes, but sparingly — typically 2-4 questions in the General Awareness section. These are usually linked to current affairs (e.g., "Which article was invoked when President's Rule was imposed in State X?"). Focus on FR, Emergency provisions, and recent amendments. Should I read the bare Constitution or rely on textbooks? For UPSC, reading the bare text of key Parts (III, IV, IVA, V, VI, XVIII) is recommended alongside Laxmikanth's Indian Polity textbook. For SSC and Banking, Laxmikanth or Lucent's GK is sufficient — you don't need the bare text. Are Schedules important for exams? Very important. The 7th Schedule (Union, State, Concurrent Lists), 8th Schedule (languages), 9th Schedule (judicial review protection), and 10th Schedule (anti-defection) are frequently tested across all exams.