Society & Welfare
Social Legislation and Human Rights
Social Legislation and Human Rights — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for Social Legislation and Human Rights: every Act, year, section and body in tables for last-minute Mains GS-V revision.
Human rights, anti-atrocity laws, RTI, consumer and environment laws, anti-corruption and IT laws on one page. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan top to bottom the week before Mains (and before Prelims for the overlapping Polity facts). Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often. Dated entries are “as of 2026”.
Human Rights and NHRC
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| UDHR | 10 Dec 1948; Human Rights Day |
| ICCPR, ICESCR | 1966; India acceded 1979 |
| PHRA | Ordinance 28 Sep 1993; NHRC set up 12 Oct 1993; amended 2006, 2019 |
| NHRC Chairperson | Former CJI or SC Judge (2019); Justice V. Ramasubramanian since Dec 2024 (as of 2026) |
| NHRC members | SC Judge + HC CJ/Judge + 3 experts (≥1 woman) + 7 deemed members |
| Selection | PM, Speaker, Home Minister, LoP LS, LoP RS, Deputy Chairman RS |
| Tenure | 3 years or 70; reappointment allowed |
| Limits | Recommendatory; 1-year bar (Sec 36); armed forces only a report (Sec 19) |
| SHRC | HC CJ/Judge chairs; 2 members; Governor appoints, President removes |
| Chhattisgarh HRC | Functional 16 Apr 2001; first Chairperson Justice K.M. Agrawal; Raipur |
Caste and Social Evils
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Art 17 | Untouchability abolished (not defined); Art 35: Parliament legislates |
| PCR Act | 1955 (Untouchability Offences Act); renamed 1976 |
| PoA Act | 1989; in force 30 Jan 1990; Rules 1995 |
| Sec 18 | No anticipatory bail |
| 2015 amendment | In force 26 Jan 2016; new offences; Exclusive Special Courts; 60-day charge sheet; victims’ rights (Ch IV-A) |
| Mahajan | 20 Mar 2018; recalled on review 1 Oct 2019 |
| Sec 18A | 2018; no preliminary inquiry, no approval for arrest; upheld in Prithvi Raj Chauhan (Feb 2020) |
| Tonahi Pratadna Nivaran Adhiniyam | Chhattisgarh, 2005; branding a tonahi: up to 3 years RI + fine |
RTI
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Act | Assent 15 Jun 2005; in force 12 Oct 2005 |
| Timelines | 30 days; 48 hours life/liberty; +5 APIO; 40 third party |
| Appeals | First: 30 days (decided 30–45); second: 90 days |
| Penalty | ₹250/day, max ₹25,000 |
| Sec 8(2) / 8(3) / 24 | Public interest override / 20-year rule / intelligence agencies except corruption and human rights |
| CIC | Chief + up to 10; PM, LoP LS, Union Cabinet Minister; Raj Kumar Goyal since 15 Dec 2025 (as of 2026) |
| 2019 amendment | Tenure and pay prescribed by the Centre (3 years) |
| DPDP Sec 44(3) | Rewrote 8(1)(j) to “personal information”; in force 13 Nov 2025 |
| CJI office | Public authority: Subhash Chandra Agarwal (Nov 2019) |
| Chhattisgarh | Lok Sewa Guarantee Act 2011 (Act No. 23 of 2011): time-bound services |
Consumer and Environment
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| CPA | 2019; in force 20 Jul 2020; CCPA 24 Jul 2020 |
| Limits (Dec 2021) | District ≤ ₹50 lakh; State ≤ ₹2 crore; National > ₹2 crore (value paid) |
| Days | National Consumer Day 24 Dec; World Consumer Rights Day 15 Mar |
| Constitution | Arts 48A and 51A(g) by the 42nd Amendment (1976); Water Act Art 252; Air Act and EPA Art 253 |
| Laws | WPA 1972; Water 1974; FCA 1980; Air 1981; EPA 1986; BDA 2002; FRA 2006; NGT 2010 |
| 2023 | FCA renamed Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam; BDA amended |
| Cases | Oleum gas (absolute liability) 1987; Vellore (polluter pays, precaution) 1996; Kamal Nath (public trust) 1997 |
| Chhattisgarh | Environment Conservation Board; Hasdeo Arand; Korba, Raigarh |
Corruption and IT
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| PCA | 1988; amended 2018 (26 Jul 2018) |
| 2018 changes | Bribe-taking 3–7 years; bribe-giving offence (7-day report exception); companies liable; Sec 17A; trial 2–4 years |
| Sec 17A | Split verdict, January 2026; referred to larger bench |
| CVC | 1964; statutory 2003; PM, HM, LoP select |
| Lokpal | Act 2013 (in force 16 Jan 2014); first Lokpal 2019 (Justice P.C. Ghose); Justice A.M. Khanwilkar (2024–) |
| Chhattisgarh Lok Aayog | 2002 (Act No. 30); Pramukh Lokayukta; Raipur |
| IT Act | In force 17 Oct 2000; amended 2008 |
| Shreya Singhal | 2015: 66A struck; 69A upheld; 79 read down |
| IT Rules | 2021; 2026 amendment: deepfake labels, 3-hour takedown |
| DPDP Act | 2023; Rules 14 Nov 2025; up to ₹250 crore; child = under 18 |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| NHRC: statutory | vs | NCSC, NCST: constitutional (Arts 338, 338A) |
| SHRC: Governor appoints | vs | SHRC: President removes |
| PCR Act: untouchability practices | vs | PoA Act: atrocities (violence, humiliation, boycott) |
| Sec 18: no anticipatory bail | vs | Sec 18A: no preliminary inquiry or approval (2018) |
| RTI 2019 amendment: commissioners’ tenure and pay | vs | DPDP 2023 Sec 44(3): RTI 8(1)(j) |
| CVC selection includes Home Minister | vs | Lokpal selection includes CJI and Speaker |
| PCA Sec 17A: approval to inquire | vs | PCA Sec 19: sanction to prosecute |
| Lok Aayog 2002: corruption inquiries | vs | Lok Sewa Guarantee 2011: service deadlines |
| Water Act: Art 252 | vs | Air Act, EPA: Art 253 |
| National Consumer Day 24 Dec | vs | World Consumer Rights Day 15 Mar |
Favourite MCQ trap
“Only a retired Chief Justice of India can be NHRC Chairperson.” Outdated since the 2019 amendment: any former Supreme Court Judge is eligible, and the current Chairperson (as of 2026) was a Supreme Court judge, not a CJI.
Second favourite trap
“The DPDP Act abolished the public interest test in RTI.” Only partly true. The test inside Section 8(1)(j) is gone (from 13 November 2025), but the general Section 8(2) public-interest override still exists. Write both halves in Mains.
Advertisement