The UPSC Blog · GS Paper II
GS Paper II: Polity, governance, social justice, IR
Everything on the blog that serves GS Paper II — the Constitution and polity, governance and institutions, social justice, and international relations — with the Articles, judgments and data a Mains answer needs. Read the official GS Paper II syllabus · UPSC's GS Paper II questions since 2016.
Static notes
Pardoning Power of the President and Governor (Articles 72 and 161): Forms, Mercy Petitions and Judicial Review — UPSC Notes
A one-stop UPSC guide to the pardoning power under Articles 72 and 161 — the five forms of clemency, President vs Governor, how mercy petitions move, the delay debate after the Rajoana case, landmark judgments and the 2025 Prelims and Mains PYQs.
· 10 min read
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): DSPE Act, State Consent and Federalism — UPSC Notes
The CBI draws its powers from the DSPE Act, 1946 and needs a State's consent unless a High Court or the Supreme Court directs a probe. Complete UPSC notes: features, the consent debate, landmark judgments, CVC data, reforms, PYQs and practice questions.
· 10 min read
GST Council (Article 279A): Composition, Voting and Cooperative Federalism — UPSC Notes
The GST Council is the constitutional body, created by the 101st Amendment, that recommends GST rates, laws and rules for the Centre and the States. Its composition, weighted voting, the Mohit Minerals ruling, Next-Gen GST and the federal debates — with PYQs, MCQs and Mains practice.
· 11 min read
POCSO Act, 2012: Features, Implementation Gaps, and Age-of-Consent Debate — UPSC Notes
A complete UPSC guide to the POCSO Act, 2012: key provisions and sections, how a case moves through the system, what NCRB data shows about implementation, the age-of-consent debate, and the Delhi High Court's 2026 ruling on personal law.
· 12 min read
Current-affairs explainers
Anti-Defection Law, the Speaker and Resignations: Madras HC's Two-Month Deadline Explained
The Madras High Court has upheld the acceptance of six MLAs' resignations while keeping disqualification pleas alive and setting a two-month deadline. A clear UPSC explainer on the Tenth Schedule, the Speaker's role and the judgments to quote.
· 7 min read
Katchatheevu Island: What the 1974 and 1976 India–Sri Lanka Agreements Settled, and How Berubari Differs
The Supreme Court has again heard petitions against the 1974 and 1976 agreements that placed Katchatheevu on the Sri Lankan side. This explainer sets out what each agreement settled, why Berubari is a different case, and what UPSC can ask.
· 7 min read
Article 22 and the Delhi Detentions: Arrest vs Detention vs Preventive Detention, Habeas Corpus and the Supreme Court Order
After mass detentions in Delhi, the Supreme Court passed an interim order that no one be detained except by lawful procedure. A clear UPSC explainer on Article 22, habeas corpus, the Court's directions and the judgments to quote in Mains.
· 9 min read
Untouchability in India: Article 17, the PCR Act and Why Law Alone Hasn’t Ended It
Article 17 abolished untouchability in 1950, yet the Haldwani ‘purification’ row shows prejudice outlasting law. What Article 17, Article 35, the PCR Act and the PoA Act say, with a Prelims MCQ and Mains angles.
· 5 min read
The 50% Reservation Ceiling: Why MP’s 27% OBC Quota and Andhra’s 34% BC Quota Fell
The Madhya Pradesh High Court struck down a 27% OBC quota and the Supreme Court dismissed Andhra Pradesh’s plea for a 34% BC quota. The 50% ceiling, Indra Sawhney, the triple test and the Ninth Schedule route, with a Prelims MCQ and Mains angles.
· 6 min read
Great Nicobar Project: Why the Supreme Court Let the Forest Rights Challenge Go On — Strategy, Ecology and the Shompen
The Supreme Court has refused the Centre's plea to stay a Calcutta High Court case that challenges the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar project under the Forest Rights Act. What the project includes, why the island matters strategically and ecologically, who the Shompen are, and how to use the case in GS2 and GS3.
· 6 min read
Two Election Commissioners Filed 14 Objections in 10 Months: Article 324, CEC Removal and What UPSC Asks
Two of India's three Election Commissioners objected 14 times in 10 months — mostly over SIR. Here's what the Constitution actually says about removing a CEC.
· 11 min read
UPI MDR Deferred Until After Diwali: The 0.4% Merchant Charge, Who Pays and the Supreme Court Case
NPCI has deferred the 0.4% MDR on UPI payments to merchants above ₹2,000 until after Diwali, so UPI stays free for now. What MDR is, who decides, what stays free, the Supreme Court challenge and the UPSC angle.
· 8 min read
AFSPA Explained: Disturbed Areas, Supreme Court Safeguards and the October 2026 Extension
AFSPA in one page: who declares a disturbed area, what the armed forces can do, the Supreme Court safeguards, the reform debate and where it applies after the October 2026 extension, with a process graphic, a timeline, MCQs and Mains questions.
· 8 min read
Census 2027 Explained: Caste Count, Open Column, Boundary Freeze and Delimitation
Census 2027 is India's first digital Census and the first to count caste in a Census since Independence, through an open column. What the Census is, SECC versus Census, the boundary freeze, delimitation, and what the data will decide.
· 10 min read
J&K Statehood Resolution: Article 3, the 2019 Reorganisation and the Supreme Court’s 2023 Assurance
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved a resolution in the J&K Assembly seeking restoration of full Statehood. What the resolution says, the constitutional hook in Article 3, the Supreme Court’s December 2023 direction, and how to use it for federalism answers.
· 5 min read