KSLU Solved Question Papers
Political Science (Organisation and Institutions)
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 2
2015 Dec Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 2 Political Science (Organisation and Institutions) 2015 Dec Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
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The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2015 Dec examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2015 Dec examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2015 Dec examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.
Duration 3 hours · Total marks 100 · 13 questions answered
How to use this volume
Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.
Q1What is Liberty and equality ? Explain the importance of liberty and equality.[16]
Answer
For full marks, cover: what liberty is (definitions; negative and positive liberty; liberty under law; its main kinds); what equality is (Laski's two parts; what equality does not mean; its kinds; formal and substantive equality); the importance of liberty, for the person, for truth, for democracy and for society; the importance of equality, for dignity, democracy, justice and social peace, with the Indian setting of caste; why each needs the other (Laski on economic equality; Ambedkar's union of trinity); the Preamble's promise of both; two Indian cases (Navtej Singh Johar on liberty and equality joined, K. Krishna Murthy on substantive equality); and a conclusion.
What liberty is
Liberty is the freedom of a person to think, choose and act as he wishes, within limits set by law for the good of all. Laski called it "the eager maintenance of that atmosphere in which men have the opportunity to be their best selves".
Liberty has two sides. Negative liberty is freedom from interference: no one stops me from speaking or travelling. Positive liberty is freedom to act: I have the education, health and means to use my freedoms.
Liberty is not licence. Each person's freedom is limited so that all may be free. Mill drew the line at harm: power may be used against a person only "to prevent harm to others".
Its main kinds are:
- civil liberty: life, person, speech and religion;
- political liberty: voting, office and criticism;
- economic liberty: work and security;
- national liberty: freedom from foreign rule.
What equality is
Laski explained equality in two parts. "Equality, therefore, means first of all the absence of special privilege." And "Equality means, in the second place, that adequate opportunities are laid open to all".
What equality does not mean. It does not mean that everyone is the same, or that everyone must be treated identically. People differ in talent and need. Equality means equal worth and a fair chance, not identical outcomes.
Its main kinds are:
- legal equality: the same law for all;
- political equality: one person, one vote;
- social equality: no discrimination by caste, religion or sex;
- economic equality: a fair share and freedom from want;
- equality of opportunity: an open road to education and jobs.
Formal and substantive equality. Formal equality treats everyone alike. Substantive equality looks at real conditions and may treat the disadvantaged differently so that they can catch up, as reservations do.
The importance of liberty
- For the person. Liberty lets a person develop his powers by making his own choices, and it respects his dignity as a responsible adult.
- For truth. Mill argued that a silenced opinion may be true. Even a false one holds part of the truth, and even a true one is held as mere prejudice if never challenged.
- For democracy. Free speech, a free press and free association let citizens judge their rulers and replace them.
- For society. New ideas in science, art and business come from people free to experiment.
The importance of equality
- For dignity. Equality affirms that every person has the same worth, whatever his birth.
- For democracy. Political equality, one person and one vote, is the foundation of popular government.
- For justice. Equal treatment before the law is the first condition of a just order.
- For social peace. Deep inequalities breed resentment and conflict. A society of fair chances is more stable.
- In the Indian setting. India inherited what Ambedkar called "graded inequality", a social order of caste ranks. Equality is therefore not an abstract ideal but a programme of reform.
Why each needs the other
Liberty without equality becomes the freedom of the strong. Laski warned that "Political equality, therefore, is never real unless it is accompanied by virtual economic equality". Equality without liberty becomes uniformity imposed from above. Ambedkar put it this way: "Equality without liberty would kill individual initiative." He called liberty, equality and fraternity a union of trinity, none of which can be divorced from the others.
Two views of the relationship
Not every thinker agrees that liberty and equality fit together. Free-market liberals such as F. A. Hayek feared that the pursuit of economic equality would require a powerful State that crushes liberty. Socialists replied that liberty is empty for those who have nothing. The modern democratic answer is a balance. It gives equal political and civil rights to all, fair chances in education and work, and a basic floor of welfare. But it does not force everyone into the same mould.
A worked example: a village school
In a village school, liberty means that every child may learn, speak and think freely. It also means that parents may choose how their children are raised, within the law. Equality means that the Dalit child sits on the same bench as the landlord's child. It also means that a poor girl has the books and the meal she needs to stay in school. If the school is free but the poor child must leave to work, liberty is empty for her. If the school is equal but forbids questions, equality has been bought with liberty. A good school, like a good State, secures both.
Liberty and equality in India's own story
India's freedom struggle was a fight for national liberty. But its leaders also fought for equality at home. The Constitution of 1950 gave every adult the vote at once, under article 326, without property or education tests. It abolished untouchability in article 17 and forbade discrimination in article 15. In this way the new republic tried to give liberty and equality to all its people together, not one after the other.
The safeguards of both
- The rule of law and independent courts, which protect rights equally against the government.
- Written fundamental rights, beyond the reach of an ordinary majority.
- A free press and active citizens, who expose abuse.
- Special measures for the disadvantaged, such as reservations and free education, which make equality real.
- A fair economic floor, so that freedom means something to the poor.
The Preamble's promise
The Preamble promises all citizens "LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship" and "EQUALITY of status and of opportunity". The fundamental rights give these promises legal force: articles 14 to 18 for equality, and articles 19 to 22 for liberty.
The two values at a glance
| Point | Liberty | Equality |
|---|---|---|
| Core meaning | Freedom to develop oneself under law | Equal worth, no privilege, fair chances |
| Main kinds | Civil, political, economic, national | Legal, political, social, economic, of opportunity |
| Point | Liberty | Equality |
|---|---|---|
| Danger alone | Freedom of the strong | Uniformity, loss of initiative |
| Indian guarantee | Arts. 19 to 22 | Arts. 14 to 18 |
What threatens them today
- Poverty. A person without food, schooling or work cannot use his freedoms, and he is not equal in any real sense.
- Caste and other discrimination. Old hierarchies still deny many people equal respect in daily life, though the law forbids it.
- Concentrated wealth and power. Where a few control the economy and the media, the liberty of the rest shrinks.
- Majority pressure. A majority may try to silence or exclude a minority, which harms both its liberty and its equality.
Each threat shows again that the two values stand or fall together.
Two Indian cases
Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 SCC 1. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code criminalised consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex. The Supreme Court struck it down to that extent. It found the section manifestly arbitrary, against article 15, and an offence to dignity, privacy and the freedom to express one's identity. The case shows liberty and equality protected together: the freedom to live one's private life, and equal respect for a minority.
K. Krishna Murthy v. Union of India, (2010) 7 SCC 202. Reservations of seats and chairperson posts in panchayats and municipalities for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women were challenged. The Supreme Court upheld them, while holding that vertical reservation should not exceed fifty per cent. It said the one-third rule for women "is an embodiment of the principle of adequate representation". The case shows substantive equality: special measures so that the excluded can share in political liberty.
Conclusion. Liberty is the freedom to develop oneself under law, and equality is the absence of privilege with fair chances for all. Liberty matters for the person, for truth, for democracy and for progress, and equality for dignity, democracy, justice and social peace. Each fails without the other, which is why the Preamble promises both. Navtej Singh Johar and K. Krishna Murthy show the Indian courts holding them together.
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