Exam Strategy, Master Tables and Revision Plan

1. Company Law (Topics 8 and 9): usually the largest number of questions. Focus on definitions, numbers, time limits and thresholds.

2. Contract Act general principles (Topics 1–3): offer and acceptance, consideration, free consent, void and voidable, s.73 and s.74, s.56, quasi-contracts, e-contracts.

3. Specific contracts (Topic 4): guarantee (discharge of surety), bailment (duties), pledge (s.176, s.178), agency (ratification, s.230).

4. Sale of Goods Act (Topic 5): conditions and warranties, implied terms, passing of property, nemo dat exceptions, unpaid seller.

5. NI Act (Topic 7): s.138 timeline, crossing, holder in due course, presumptions, the 2015 and 2018 amendments.

6. Partnership and LLP (Topic 6): s.4, s.19, s.69, s.48; LLP vs partnership vs company; small LLP.

7. CSR (Topic 10): low volume but very scoreable through memorisation.

• Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball: general offer, acceptance by performance.

• Lalman Shukla v Gauri Dutt: knowledge of the offer is needed.

• Bhagwandas Kedia: instantaneous communication; contract formed where acceptance is received.

• Mohori Bibee v Dharmodas Ghose: a minor’s agreement is void ab initio.

• Chinnaya v Ramayya: a stranger to consideration may sue.

• M.C. Chacko v SBT: a beneficiary may enforce in trust-like arrangements.

• Gherulal Parakh: wagering agreements are void, not illegal.

• Central Inland Water Transport v Brojo Nath: unconscionable terms are void.

• Satyabrata Ghose: s.56 is wider than the English frustration doctrine.

• Energy Watchdog v CERC: force majeure is distinct from s.56.

• Fateh Chand; Kailash Nath: s.74 reasonable compensation.

• Hadley v Baxendale: remoteness of damages.

• State of West Bengal v B.K. Mondal: s.70 quasi-contract.

• Mafatlal Industries: unjust enrichment in refund claims.

• Bank of Bihar v Damodar Prasad: the surety’s liability is immediate and co-extensive.

• Rowland v Divall: breach of the implied condition of title gives a full refund.

• Cox v Hickman: mutual agency is the test of partnership.

• Salomon v Salomon: corporate personality.

• Royal British Bank v Turquand: indoor management.

• Foss v Harbottle: majority rule and the proper plaintiff.

• Rangappa v Sri Mohan; Bir Singh v Mukesh Kumar: presumption under s.139.

• Dashrath Rupsingh Rathod: jurisdiction under s.138 (superseded by the 2015 amendment).

• Tata Consultancy Services v Cyrus Investments: oppression and the removal of the chairman.

• Specific Relief (Amendment) Act, 2018: specific performance is no longer discretionary; substituted performance; infrastructure courts.

• NI (Amendment) Acts 2015 and 2018: jurisdiction (s.142(2)) and interim compensation (ss.143A, 148).

• Companies (Amendment) Acts 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020: removal of minimum capital; commencement-of-business declaration (s.10A, 2019); charge-registration timelines; unspent CSR; decriminalisation of many offences; and the small-company thresholds.

• Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023: rationalised penalties and decriminalised minor offences in many Acts (the extent of change varies from Act to Act, so check the schedule).

• LLP (Amendment) Act, 2021: small LLPs, lower penalties and compounding.

• New criminal codes and evidence law: from 1 July 2024, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 replaced the IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act. References to the IPC in s.15 of the Contract Act are read with the BNS, and s.138 NI Act procedure now follows the BNSS.

• CSR Rules, 2021: mandatory registration of implementing agencies, the Unspent CSR Account, impact assessment, and the Rs. 50 lakh exemption from forming a CSR Committee.

• Statement-based: underline absolute words (‘only’, ‘always’, ‘never’, ‘must’). Many wrong statements swap a number (30 and 15 days; 20% and 25%) or a section (s.73 and s.74).

• Match the following: learn section-to-topic pairs in tables (s.124–147 indemnity and guarantee; s.148–181 bailment; s.172–179 pledge; s.182–238 agency).

• Assertion–Reason: decide separately whether A and R are true, and whether R explains A. Doctrines (frustration, Turquand, veil lifting) often yield ‘both true but R does not explain A’.

• Sequence questions: for incorporation, the order is: name approval, then DIN and DSC, then MoA and AoA, then filing under s.7, then the certificate, then the registered office within 30 days, then INC-20A within 180 days. For s.138 the order is: dishonour, then notice (30 days), then 15 days to pay, then complaint (1 month).

• Negative questions: be ready with the exception lists (s.19 Partnership Act implied-authority exceptions; s.25 exceptions; s.27 goodwill exception; s.30 minors; s.230 agent’s personal liability).

1. Week 1: Contract Act, Topics 1–3 (build the vocabulary, then cases).

2. Week 2: Specific contracts and SOGA.

3. Week 3: Partnership, LLP and NI Act.

4. Week 4: Company law (twice, since it carries the heaviest weight).

5. Final week: CSR, the numbers sheet, case list and amendments; then solve previous years’ UGC NET Law papers topic by topic and note recurring sections and numbers.

Caution: statutes, thresholds and notifications (especially under the Companies Act, LLP Act and CSR Rules) are amended often. I compiled these notes from memory, without checking the bare Acts, so verify figures such as small-company thresholds, LLP audit limits, AGM and meeting time limits, and every section number against the latest bare Act and MCA notifications before relying on them in the exam.