KSLU Solved Question Papers
Administrative Law
Previous Year Question Paper with Solution
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 5
2025 Jun Examination
munotes.in
Mumbai
B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 5 Administrative Law 2025 Jun 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 2025 Jun examination.
Contents
The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2025 Jun examination, in the order it was set.
MarksPage
MarksPage
The Paper as Set
The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2025 Jun 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/problems is compulsory from each unit. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English or in 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 administrative law ? Explain the objectives and sources of administrative law.[10]
Answer
For full marks, cover: a definition of administrative law (with the names of Jennings and Wade) and a working definition; its objectives (control of power, protection of the citizen, fairness, accountability, efficiency, remedies); its sources (the Constitution, statutes, delegated legislation, judicial decisions, administrative directions, reports and practice) with the order in which they prevail; Maneka Gandhi, Kraipak, Ram Jawaya Kapur and S.P. Sampath Kumar; a conclusion.
What is administrative law
Administrative law is the part of public law that governs the administration. Sir Ivor Jennings described it as the law relating to the administration, its organisation, powers and duties. H.W.R. Wade stressed its main purpose: to keep the powers of government within their legal limits and so protect the citizen against their abuse.
Combining these, a working definition is this. Administrative law is the law that decides the organisation, powers and duties of administrative authorities. It also lays down the procedure they must follow, the controls over them, and the remedies of a person harmed by their action.
Objectives of administrative law
- To control administrative power. The modern State gives officials wide powers to make rules, decide disputes and use discretion. Administrative law keeps those powers within the limits set by the Constitution and the statute.
- To protect the rights of the citizen. It ensures that no official interferes with a person's liberty, property or livelihood except according to law.
- To secure fairness. Through natural justice, it requires notice, a hearing, an unbiased decision-maker and, for quasi-judicial decisions, reasons.
- To make the administration accountable. It subjects officials to courts, tribunals, legislative committees and bodies such as the Lokpal and Lokayukta.
- To promote efficient administration. It does not aim to stop the State from acting. It gives officials the powers they need, so that the welfare State can function.
- To provide remedies. It gives the citizen writs, suits for damages, appeals and complaints, so that wrongs can be corrected.
Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, AIR 1978 SC 597, shows these objectives at work. The petitioner's passport was impounded "in public interest", without a hearing and without reasons. The Supreme Court held that a procedure affecting personal liberty must be "right and just and fair". It held that natural justice applies even where the statute is silent. One decision thus controlled power, protected a right and required fairness.
Sources of administrative law
India has no single code of administrative law. Its rules come from the following sources.
1. The Constitution. It is the supreme source. Article 12 defines "the State". Articles 14, 19 and 21 forbid arbitrary and unfair action. Articles 32 and 226 give the writs. Articles 298 to 300 deal with contracts and suits, Article 311 protects civil servants, and Articles 323A and 323B provide for tribunals.
S.P. Sampath Kumar v. Union of India, AIR 1987 SC 386. The Administrative Tribunals Act 1985 was challenged for taking service disputes away from the High Courts. The Supreme Court held that judicial review is a basic feature of the Constitution. A tribunal can replace the High Court only if it is an equally effective body. So the Constitution sets limits that even Parliament must obey.
2. Statutes. Acts of Parliament and the State Legislatures create authorities and give them powers. Examples are the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1952 and the Administrative Tribunals Act 1985. Others are the Right to Information Act 2005 and the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013.
3. Delegated legislation. Rules, regulations, bye-laws and notifications made by the executive under statutes form a very large body of administrative law.
4. Judicial decisions. In India the most important principles of administrative law are judge-made. Natural justice, the grounds of judicial review, promissory estoppel and legitimate expectation all come from case law.
A.K. Kraipak v. Union of India, AIR 1970 SC 150. A candidate for the Indian Forest Service sat on the board that assessed his rivals. The Supreme Court set aside the selection for bias. It held that natural justice applies to administrative inquiries too. No statute said this; the Court made the rule.
5. Administrative directions and circulars. Governments issue instructions, office memoranda and circulars to guide officials. They bind officials inside the department, but generally they do not have the force of law against citizens unless a statute gives them that force.
Rai Sahib Ram Jawaya Kapur v. State of Punjab, AIR 1955 SC 549. The Punjab Government took over the printing of school text books by executive decisions, without a statute. The Supreme Court held that executive power is the residue of governmental functions left after legislative and judicial functions are taken away. The executive can act without a law, so long as it does not infringe rights or break a law. This explains why executive instructions are a source.
6. Reports and practice. Reports of bodies such as the Administrative Reforms Commission, the Law Commission and the parliamentary committees shape the law. Settled administrative practice can also create legitimate expectations.
Which source prevails
| Rank | Source | Gives way to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Constitution | Nothing |
| 2 | Statutes | The Constitution |
| Rank | Source | Gives way to |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Delegated legislation | The parent Act and the Constitution |
| 4 | Administrative directions | Statutes and rules |
Judicial decisions interpret all of these, and the Supreme Court's decisions bind all courts under Article 141.
Conclusion. Administrative law is the law that defines and controls the powers of the administration and gives remedies against their misuse. Its objectives are to control power, protect the citizen, ensure fairness and accountability, and still let the State govern efficiently. Its sources are the Constitution, statutes, delegated legislation, judicial decisions, administrative directions and official reports. In India, case law such as Kraipak and Maneka Gandhi supplies most of its key principles.
The rest of the answers
The first answer is free. The rest come with the KSLU B.A. LL.B. Semester 5 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.