KSLU Solved Question Papers
Political Science (State and Political Obligations)
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 3
2023 Sep Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 3 Political Science (State and Political Obligations) 2023 Sep Question Paper with Solutions
First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.
Published by munotes.in, Mumbai.
Model answers written and edited by the munotes.in editorial desk.
Passages from this volume may be quoted, in print, online or by an AI system, with credit: name munotes.in and link to this volume's page. The volume may not be reproduced as a whole. Full terms at munotes.in/content-license.
munotes.in is an independent study resource for students of Karnataka State Law University. It is not affiliated with Karnataka State Law University, and is not endorsed by it.
The University does not publish an official answer key for this paper. The answers in this volume are model answers, written to show how a full-mark answer is built. They are a study aid, not an authority on what an examiner marked.
The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2023 Sep examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2023 Sep examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2023 Sep 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 80 · 20 questions answered
Instructions printed on the paper
- N.B. (1) Answer all five Units. (2) One essay type question and short note is compulsory from each Unit. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English or Kannada completely.
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.
Q1
Unit I
(a)What is meant by political obligations ? What are the political obligations of the State under Monarchy ?[10]
Answer
For full marks, cover: the meaning of political obligation; the meaning and forms of monarchy (absolute and limited or constitutional); the obligations of the State (the king) under monarchy, as seen in the divine right theory, in the Indian tradition of rajadharma (with Kautilya) and in constitutional monarchy; the matching obligations of subjects; a criticism; an Indian case showing the constitutional-monarchy model in our own Constitution (Shamsher Singh); and a conclusion.
Meaning of political obligation
Political obligation is the moral duty to obey the laws and commands of the state because the state is entitled to make them. It is a two-way relationship. The subject owes obedience, and the ruler owes protection, justice and good government. The content of these duties depends on the form of the state.
Monarchy and its forms
Monarchy is government by a single ruler, usually hereditary, such as a king or queen. It takes two main forms:
- Absolute monarchy, in which the ruler holds all power and is not bound by any human authority. The Stuart kings of England and Louis XIV of France claimed such power.
- Limited or constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch is bound by law. The monarch acts on the advice of ministers responsible to an elected parliament, as in the United Kingdom today.
The obligations of the State under monarchy
1. In the divine right theory
The divine right of kings held that the king receives his crown directly from God and is accountable to God alone. James I of England wrote that kings are God's lieutenants on earth. On this view the king's obligations were owed mainly to God:
- to rule according to God's law and protect the true religion;
- to do justice and punish evildoers;
- to defend the realm against enemies.
The subject's obligation was passive obedience. He could refuse to do what God forbade, but could never resist the king by force. A bad king answered only to God.
2. In the Indian tradition: rajadharma
Ancient Indian thought bound the king by dharma, a law he did not make and could not change. The Manusmriti gave the king a sacred character, but also a heavy duty of protection. His duties, his rajadharma, were:
- Protection (raksha) of the people from external enemies and internal disorder;
- Justice (danda), punishing wrongdoers and settling disputes fairly;
- Upholding dharma, the social and moral order;
- Welfare (yogakshema), the security and prosperity of the people.
Kautilya's Arthashastra states the ideal: "In the happiness of his subjects lies the king's happiness, in their welfare his welfare". A king who failed to protect his people was thought to lose his claim to their obedience.
3. In constitutional monarchy
In England, the monarch's power was gradually limited by law, from Magna Carta in 1215 to the Bill of Rights of 1689. The monarch "reigns but does not rule". The State's obligations are now carried out by ministers answerable to Parliament. They must govern by law, respect the rights of subjects, raise taxes only with Parliament's consent and keep the peace. A minister who loses Parliament's confidence must go.
The obligations of subjects under monarchy
Subjects owed loyalty to the crown, obedience to its laws, payment of taxes and dues, and service in war when called upon. Under absolute monarchy these duties were nearly unconditional; under constitutional monarchy they rest on law and consent.
Criticism
Absolute monarchy offered no remedy against a bad ruler, and the divine right theory made tyranny unanswerable. Locke attacked it by arguing that government is a trust, and that power returns to the people when the trust is broken. The Indian idea of rajadharma was more balanced, but it depended on the king's virtue rather than on institutions. Hereditary monarchy also could not settle a disputed succession. When two claimants each said God had chosen them, the question was decided by war. That is one reason why the modern state rests on consent and elections.
An Indian case: the constitutional-monarchy model in our Constitution
Shamsher Singh v. State of Punjab, AIR 1974 SC 2192. Two probationary judges were removed by orders in the Governor's name and argued that the Governor had to decide personally. The Supreme Court disagreed. Ray CJ said the Constitution "embodies generally the parliamentary or cabinet system of Government of the British model". Under it the President "is the constitutional or formal head" and acts "on the aid and advice of his council of Ministers". So India adopted the essence of constitutional monarchy, a formal head with real power in responsible ministers, without a hereditary monarch.
Conclusion. Political obligation is the duty to obey a rightful state. Under monarchy, the State's obligations were seen differently in different traditions. In the divine right theory they were owed to God, with passive obedience from subjects. In Indian rajadharma they meant protection, justice, dharma and welfare. In constitutional monarchy they are duties of lawful, responsible government. The modern answer, which India adopted as Shamsher Singh shows, is that the head of State reigns while responsible ministers rule.
The rest of the answers
The first answer is free. The rest come with the KSLU B.A. LL.B. Semester 3 solved papers.
You have read the question paper and its first answer in full. Buy the solved papers once and you can read every answer of every solved paper in this semester.
Solved papers: ₹499 Already bought it? Sign in
The question paper itself stays free.
Found an error in this volume? Report it and we will check it against the paper.