ISC 2026 Legal Studies Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 Legal Studies paper (code 881) from the 2026 board examination set by CISCE. It carries 70 marks, with three hours for writing and fifteen minutes for reading, and has twelve compulsory questions. Section A is fourteen one-mark items, including legal principles, assertion–reason and questions that ask which statements are correct. Section B has seven four-mark questions and Section C four seven-mark questions, with internal choices in two questions of Section B and one of Section C. Criminal-law questions use the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, together with the Indian Contract Act, the Transfer of Property Act and tort. One Section C item is a High Court decision imposing absolute liability after a child died by electrocution from a live wire. The paper is questions only.

Exam

ISC Class 12

Subject

Legal Studies

Year

2026

Paper code

881

Maximum marks

70

Time allowed

3 hours + 15 min reading

Questions

12

Pages

8

Answers included

No, questions only

Paper pattern

• Section A

  14 marks

  Question 1: 14 one-mark parts, including multiple choice, assertion–reason, statement sets and very short answers

• Section B

  28 marks

  Questions 2–8, four marks each; internal choice in two questions

• Section C

  28 marks

  Questions 9–12, seven marks each; internal choice in one question

Topics covered

• Human rights
• Stages of crime
• Indian Contract Act
• Rights of an arrested person
• Free legal aid
• Transfer of Property Act
• Natural justice and defamation
• Article 19 and fundamental duties
• Private nuisance
• Strict and absolute liability
• Arbitration, conciliation and Lok Adalat
• Robbery, theft and extortion

Questions from this paper

1. A local newspaper, relying on a government audit, reported that the mayor had misused public funds. Will the mayor succeed in a defamation suit against the newspaper? Give a reason.
2. Aman secretly added a lethal dose of poison to coffee meant for his rival Raghav, but a co-worker spilled the cup before Raghav drank it. Identify the offence and show how Aman’s actions meet the two essential elements of a crime under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
3. Section 309 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 states, “In all robbery there is either theft or extortion.” Explain.
4. Differentiate between sale and lease on the basis of ownership, payment, and the rights of the buyer and the lessee.
5. Discuss any three duties of a conciliator under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.
6. List and explain any four exceptions to strict liability.