Finally, we come on to the Legal section. The Legal section is the most dreaded section of the CLAT paper. If we have a look at the last year’s paper there were 20 questions on Legal GK and 30 on Legal Reasoning.

In Legal GK there were questions on polity, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, etc. Some of the sample questions were questions on FIR, questions on first President of the Constituent Assembly, Right to Information, Organ Transplantation Act and fundamental duties.

Sample question 1 on Legal GK is:

Article 1 of a legal instrument reads: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

Which is the legal instrument being referred to here?

(a) National Human Rights Act, 1995

(b) Constitution of India, 1951

(c) Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948

(d) Philadelphia Declaration, 1944

The answer to this question is (c), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.

Now let us go through another sample question on Legal GK. The question is:

2. A Panchayat Samiti at the block level in India is only a/an:

(a) administrative authority

(b) co-ordinating and supervisory authority

(c) consultative committee

(d) advisory body

The answer to this question is (b), it is a coordinating and supervisory authority.

The CLAT paper has 200 questions which have to be completed in 2 hours. First attempt the GK section, which has about 50 questions and will take only about 10 minutes. Attempting 50 out of 200 questions in the first 10 minutes will be a great weight off your chest. Now you have 150 questions left which have to be completed in 110 minutes. Next, you can take up Maths which has only 20 questions and you will need about 15 minutes to finish it. Now you have 130 questions and 95 minutes to go. You can go for English which has about 40 questions and you will take about 25 minutes. Now what will be left will be the two most time-consuming sections which are Legal and Logic. With 70 minutes to go, you can devote 35 minutes to each section and finish your paper within the time-limit. Bear in mind this is just an optional strategy. You can build your own strategy and attempt the paper based on what you are comfortable with.

Now let us go through another question on Legal GK.

The question is:

The primary legislation relating to organ donation and transplantation which is aimed at regulation of removal, storage and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs in India, namely, the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, was passed in which year:

(a) 1994

(b) 1998

(c) 2004

(d) 2014

The answer to this question is (a), 1994.This question requires prior knowledge of law and not any application of mind.

Now let us talk about Legal Reasoning. Last year there were around 30 questions on Legal Reasoning. Legal Reasoning contains questions on tort law, on criminal law, on contract law and constitutional law.

Last year in tort law, there were questions on vicarious liability, damnum sine injuria, negligence, etc. Under contract law, there were questions on partnerships, rightful owner of title, insurance law, offer and acceptance, etc.
Under criminal law, there were questions on law of evidence. Another question on doli incapax (which is the minimum age of liability under criminal law) there was a question on civil death (which is the minimum period of absence after which a person is presumed dead in the eyes of law).
Another question on “double jeopardy”. i.e. no person can be punished twice for the same offence under constitutional law.

Now let us go through a sample question on Legal Reasoning.

Legal principle: An essential condition in a contract for sale of goods is that the seller has title over the goods sold.

Fact situation: Ranjan paid Rs 2000 and buys a watch from Mohit who runs a watch showroom and a repair shop. Jatin sees the watch with Ranjan and tells him that it was his watch and he had only given it to Mohit for repairs. If what Jatin says is true, which of the following statements is the most appropriate in relation to the legal principle stated above?

(a) Ranjan is now the owner of the watch since he paid Rs 2000 for it.

(b) Ranjan is not the owner of the watch since Mohit did not have a title to it.

(c) Mohit must pay Jatin Rs 2000 since he sold Jatin’s watch.

(d) Mohit is the owner of the watch since he sold it to Ranjan.

Now let’s go through each option one by one.

1. That Ranjan is now the owner of the watch since he paid Rs 2000 for it. This is not correct, as Rajan cannot be the owner as Jatin has the title of the watch.
2. Ranjan is not the owner of the watch since Mohit did not have a title to it. Option (b) appears to be correct. It is the direct application of the principle.  Ranjan is not the owner of the watch since Mohit did not have a title to it. A person who does not have the title cannot pass it on to another.
3. Mohit must pay Jatin Rs 2000 since he sold Jatin’s watch. Now, this option is not correct because it goes beyond the facts of the question.
4. Now lastly option (d) states that Mohit is the owner of the watch since he sold it to Ranjan. This option is clearly incorrect because it is stated in the question that Jatin has a title of the watch. Hence, the correct option is (b).