Which of the following are regarded as the main features of the "Rule of Law”? 1) Limitation of powers 2) Equality before law 3) People's responsibility to the Government 4) Liberty and civil rights Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

The correct answer is C: statements 1, 2 and 4 are features of the Rule of Law, and statement 3 is not.

The Rule of Law, as A.V. Dicey framed it, rests on three pillars: supremacy of law over arbitrary power, equality before law, and protection of individual rights through ordinary courts. Statement 1, limitation of powers, follows directly. No authority, including the executive, can act except under a law that defines and limits its power. Statement 2, equality before law, is Article 14 of our Constitution, applying to all persons alike, including officials. Statement 4, liberty and civil rights, is protected in Part III and enforceable through writs under Articles 32 and 226.

Statement 3 is the odd one out. Duties of citizens toward the state appear in Part IVA (Article 51A) and belong to democratic and civic theory. They are not a feature of the Rule of Law, which concerns the state being bound by law, not citizens being answerable to it in that sense.

This connects to Mains GS-2 on constitutionalism, judicial review and administrative accountability, where the Rule of Law is the basis for checking arbitrary state action.

Trap: many aspirants pick D because 'responsibility' sounds like a democratic virtue. Ask whether the statement limits the state or describes a duty of citizens. The Rule of Law is about the former.