ISC 2026 Legal Studies Improvement Examination Question Paper for Class 12

About this paper

This is the ISC Class 12 Legal Studies paper (code 881) from the 2026 Improvement Examination set by CISCE. It carries 70 marks, with three hours to write and fifteen minutes to read, and has twelve compulsory questions. Section A has fourteen one-mark parts. Section B has seven four-mark questions, with an internal choice in two, and includes a passage on Vineet Narain and the Jain diaries and the battery case Pratap Daji v. B.B. & C.I. Railway. Section C has four seven-mark questions, one with an internal choice, and includes Mohori Bibee v. Dharmodas Ghose on a mortgage by a minor. Criminal questions refer to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including private defence and when theft becomes snatching. This copy 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, legal principles and very short answers

• Section B

  28 marks

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

• Section C

  28 marks

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

Topics covered

• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita
• Consideration and capacity to contract
• Forced labour and child labour
• National Green Tribunal
• Article 19
• Doctrine of election
• Article 15
• Writs and Vineet Narain
• Strict and absolute liability
• Tort, crime and battery
• Arbitration and mediation
• Mortgage and contracts with a minor

Questions from this paper

1. Sameer borrowed his friend’s bike for a road trip from Mumbai to Pune, then sold it and kept the proceeds. Which offence under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, should he be booked for?
2. Elina promised to take her friend James out for dinner on Christmas Eve, then went out with her cousins instead. Can James enforce this as a contract? Give a reason.
3. In Vineet Narain v. Union of India, identify and briefly explain the writ the Supreme Court issued to compel the CBI and other agencies to investigate.
4. What is an arbitral award, and how does it differ from a judgment?
5. In Mohori Bibee v. Dharmodas Ghose, who is the mortgagor and who is the mortgagee, and what is the validity of a contract with a minor?
6. When does theft become snatching? Explain the elements of snatching.