UPSC Mains 2016 GS Paper 4 Q3a: model answer
Analyse John Rawls’s concept of social justice in the Indian context.
What the question wants
Analyse John Rawls's theory of social justice in the Indian context.
How to structure it
Theory, Indian fit, limits.
- Rawls's principles
- Indian Constitution and policies
- Critique
How to think it through
A Theory of Justice 1971; veil of ignorance, original position; two principles: equal basic liberties; difference principle (inequalities to benefit least advantaged) + fair equality of opportunity. India: Fundamental Rights (liberty), DPSP Art 38, 39, 46; reservation (Art 15(4), 16(4)), EWS 103rd Amendment upheld Janhit Abhiyan 2022; MGNREGA, NFSA, progressive taxation. Critique: Amartya Sen's 'The Idea of Justice' (2009) niti vs nyaya, capabilities; Rawls ignores caste community; communitarian critique; implementation gaps.
Model answer
Imagine designing India's laws without knowing whether you will be born a landless Dalit woman in Bundelkhand or a businessman's son in Mumbai. John Rawls asked exactly this, and called it the veil of ignorance.
Rawls's theory
- In 'A Theory of Justice' (1971), Rawls said people choosing behind such a veil would accept two principles:
1. Equal basic liberties for everyone.
2. Inequalities are fair only if they offer fair equality of opportunity and benefit the least advantaged (the difference principle).
Rawls in the Indian context
- Equal liberties: Fundamental Rights in Part III.
- Fair opportunity: reservation under Articles 15(4) and 16(4), and the EWS quota upheld in Janhit Abhiyan (2022).
- Difference principle: Articles 38, 39 and 46, progressive income tax, and schemes like MGNREGA and the National Food Security Act.
Limits
- Amartya Sen, in 'The Idea of Justice' (2009), argued for comparing real lives (nyaya) rather than designing perfect institutions (niti).
- Rawls thinks of individuals, while Indian disadvantage is often by caste and community.
Rawls gives India the right question: does this policy help the person at the very bottom?
Draw: A person behind a curtain labelled 'veil of ignorance' choosing between two societies.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Rawls, A Theory of Justice 1971, veil of ignorance, original position, equal liberties, difference principle, fair equality of opportunity, Articles 15(4), 16(4), 38, 39, 46, Janhit Abhiyan 2022, MGNREGA, NFSA, Amartya Sen niti vs nyaya.
Where most answers lose marks
- Explaining Rawls without connecting to the Constitution and Indian policies.
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Fresh examples from current affairs
Supreme Court: no prior approval under Section 17A needed to probe a bribe demand
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Sections 7, 7A, 17A and 19 of the PC Act. · Mains GS-II/GS-IV: honest officers versus accountability.
19 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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