Law and order are the medicine of the body politic and when the body politic gets sick, medicine must be administered. -B. R. Ambedkar.
Civil services exam is one of the toughest exams in India. After clearing it, officers get an opportunity to take part in the administration of the country and thereby contribute to nation building. In UPSC Civil Service examination, there are three stages: Prelims, Mains and Interview. Marks of the Preliminary exam are not included in the final score thus Mains Exam has a major part to play in the selections. So, an optional subject is a part of the Mains exam, plays a very significant role in your final selection. Now, dilemma starts for choosing an appropriate optional subject which will give an edge for getting higher marks in mains examination. To help aspirant overcome this dilemma and to make the right choice, we came up with a complete guide to a popular optional in CSE examination i.e. Law. There is a long list of students who cleared civil service examination with Law as optional subject.
Law student coverage in GS papers-
The convergence point of law student’s syllabus and UPSC Law optional is an analytical understanding of topics. We can say in a simplistic way, a law student has a deep understanding of our constitution, and the constitution (polity) covers a significant part of GS Paper-2. There is a lot more coverage of syllabus of law students in UPSC civil service examination i.e. In Ethics, Topics like Public/Civil services values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions, can handle very easily by law students. In Essay paper, framing and implementation of ideas are most important, and, law student already has the ability to proper framing of ideas. In GS paper-1, critical approach of an administrative policy of British rules, the impact of British laws in Indian society, role of British law to overcome from social evils, are some prospective approach, that, law students are well aware. So, ultimately, it depends on how you can harness your ability to achieve your dreams.
Law as optional subject-
The knowledge of Law immensely give the clear picture of your job profile, it means you have a virtue of understanding the correctness from the moral as well as an administrative point of view. The work profile of a civil servant is to maintain law and order and act as an administrator. So, he should a better understanding of the law. This aspect shows that understanding of Law is required to act as an efficient administrator.
There is easy availability of material and also the syllabus is easy to understand which ultimately help to perform better. It takes 2-3 month time to complete an optional subject, which is comparatively less time if we look at a few other optional subjects.
In Paper I, the sections divide as Constitutional & Administrative Law and International Law. Paper 1 of the Law optional has conceptual parts. It examines the ability to examine constitution and international affairs.
In Paper II, the sections divide as Law of Torts, the Law of Contracts, the Law of Crimes and Contemporary Legal Developments. Paper 2 of the Law optional has the technical part. It examines the ability to analyze different aspects.
Now we can conclude with a positive note that law provides a great opportunity to be superior in civil services. If aspirants keep themselves updated and ready to analyze every aspect, with a logical and intelligent approach, he/she can achieve desired results.
