UPSC civil services examination is known as the toughest exam in India. The exam is conducted in three stages- Prelims, mains, and interview. Optional subjects are considered as a vital part of UPSC IAS Mains Exam. The Mains stage in IAS Exam comprises nine papers including two papers of optional subject.
UPSC aspirants choose the Law as an optional subject in UPSC Civil Services examination since it is high scoring. The marks fetched in the optional subject is a crucial factor in deciding the fate of aspirant.
BYJU’s has already come up with the UPSC Law Syllabus. Now we have compiled important books for Law optional UPSC exam.
Law Optional for UPSC IAS Mains Exam
Previously, Law was a less popular optional. But now it has been consistently attaining the attention of aspirants over in the last couple of years. The successful candidates have those who had law as their optional, have unequivocally prescribed Law to all law graduates, and non-law graduates. But the graduates from the non-law background may consider the fact that the Law optional has a considerably more extensive syllabus than other optional subjects.
IAS aspirants targeting UPSC 2023Â can check the linked article to better understand the pattern and align their preparation accordingly.
UPSC Law Optional Booklist
Law optional Paper- I consist of Constitutional Law, Administrative law, and International Law. Law Paper-II comprises the Law of Contracts, the Law of Torts, Contemporary Legal Developments and the Law of Crimes.
Books for Law Optional Paper I
Paper 1 of the Law optional has conceptual parts and less technical. This paper consists of two separate segment Constitutional Laws, Administrative Law and International Law. To tackle Paper I of Law optional aspirant should need some essential books for reference.
| International Law- S. K Kapoor | Our Constitution – Subhash C. Kashyap |
| The Constitution of India (Bare Act) – PM Bakshi | An Introduction to Public International Law – S. K. Verma |
| Introduction to the Constitution of India – D.D Basu | Constitution of India- VN Shukla |
| International Law – Malcolm N Shaw | Administrative Law – I.P. Massey |
Aspirants should refer to the Constitution of India to understand few important articles.
Books for Law Optional Paper-II
Law optional Paper-II ideals with hardcore laws and more technical. It consists of two segments as Paper I. They are:
- Section A – Law of Torts and Law of Crimes
- Section B – Mercantile Law, Law of Contracts, and Contemporary Legal Developments
The books are given in the table below:
| Indian Penal Code- KD Gaur | Mercantile Law – R.K. Bangia |
| Jurisprudence – P.K. Tripathi and Dias | Criminal Law – P. S. Atchuthen Pillai. |
| Indian Penal Code-Ratanlal and Dhirajlal | Principles of Mercantile Law- Avtar Singh |
| Law of Tort – Autochthon Pillai | Indian Contract Act Specific Relief Act- Pollock & Mulla |
UPSC Law Optional Booklist: –Download PDF Here
IAS candidates may also like to check the table below that comprises relevant articles about UPSC Law optional and IAS exam.Â
Is there need to be law BACKGROUND for law optional for upsc
No. Graduation in any stream from a recognised university is the requisite educational qualification. However, candidates having previous knowledge of their optional subject have an advantage during preparation.