CURRENT AFFAIRS | MARCH 2026
CLAT Relevance
• Legal Reasoning — Dicey’s Rule of Law, Article 14, droit administratif, administrative tribunals
• GK Section — Constitutional concepts, British vs French legal systems, Indian hybrid model
• Key Terms — Supremacy of Law, Equality Before Law, CAT, ITAT, 14th Amendment
• Legal Reasoning — Dicey’s Rule of Law, Article 14, droit administratif, administrative tribunals
• GK Section — Constitutional concepts, British vs French legal systems, Indian hybrid model
• Key Terms — Supremacy of Law, Equality Before Law, CAT, ITAT, 14th Amendment
A.V. Dicey’s Rule of Law — Three Pillars
Albert Venn Dicey, the British constitutional theorist, articulated three core principles of the rule of law:
- Supremacy of Law: No person can be punished except for a distinct breach of law established through ordinary legal proceedings. Arbitrary power is excluded.
- Equality Before Law: Every person — regardless of rank or position — is subject to the same ordinary courts and the same law. No one is above the law.
- Constitution as Result of Individual Rights: The general principles of the constitution are derived from the rights of individuals as defined by courts through specific cases.
Droit Administratif — The French System
Legal Systems Compared
• Droit administratif (French): Separate administrative tribunals for government servants
• Common law (English): All persons including officials subject to ordinary courts
• India: Follows a hybrid system — ordinary courts plus specialised tribunals (CAT, ITAT, etc.)
• Droit administratif (French): Separate administrative tribunals for government servants
• Common law (English): All persons including officials subject to ordinary courts
• India: Follows a hybrid system — ordinary courts plus specialised tribunals (CAT, ITAT, etc.)
Article 14 — The Constitutional Anchor
Article 14 of the Indian Constitution provides:
“The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India”
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Two Concepts in Article 14
• Equality before law (British concept) = absence of special privileges for anyone
• Equal protection of laws (American 14th Amendment concept) = like should be treated alike
• Equality before law (British concept) = absence of special privileges for anyone
• Equal protection of laws (American 14th Amendment concept) = like should be treated alike
Connection to Section 17A Debate
In the Section 17A context, Justice Nagarathna argued that granting public servants special procedural protection violates Article 14 because it creates an unreasonable classification between public servants and ordinary citizens facing criminal investigation.
Mnemonic — Dicey’s 3 Pillars
S-E-C: Supremacy of Law, Equality Before Law, Constitution from Individual Rights
S-E-C: Supremacy of Law, Equality Before Law, Constitution from Individual Rights
Source: UPSC Essentials, The Indian Express — March 2026
Practice Quiz
Test your understanding with these 10 MCQs:
Practice Quiz — 10 CLAT-Style Questions
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