Constitution Basics — Set 4

Correct Answer: D. USA

• **USA** = source country for the concept of Judicial Review — the power of courts to. • **Article 13** — in India, Judicial Review is implied through Article 13 which declares laws inconsistent with Fundamental Rights void; it is not as wide as the US version. • 💡 Option A (Japan) is wrong because Japan contributed 'Procedure established by law' (Article 21), not Judicial Review; Option B (UK) is wrong because the UK follows Parliamentary sovereignty and does not have strong judicial review of legislation; Option C (France) is wrong because France contributed Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity to the Preamble, not Judicial Review.

Correct Answer: A. Article 3

• **Article 3** = empowers Parliament to form new states and alter the boundaries, areas, or names of existing states by a simple majority. • **Simple Majority** — Article 3 changes need only a simple majority in Parliament (not a special majority), but the affected State Legislature's views must be sought (though not binding). • 💡 Option B (Article 1) is wrong because Article 1 merely defines India as a Union of States — it does not empower Parliament to create or alter states; Option C (Article 2) is wrong because Article 2 deals with admission or establishment of new states from outside India's territory; Option D (Article 4) is wrong because Article 4 states that laws made under Articles 2 and 3 are not deemed to be amendments to the Constitution.

Correct Answer: B. Dr. Rajendra Prasad

• **Dr. Rajendra Prasad** = Chairman of the Steering Committee and also the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly. • **Steering Committee** — managed the business and agenda of the Constituent Assembly; not to be confused with the Drafting Committee (Ambedkar) or Advisory Committee (Patel). • 💡 Option A (Jawaharlal Nehru) is wrong because Nehru chaired the Union Powers Committee and Union Constitution Committee, not the Steering Committee; Option C (Sardar Patel) is wrong because Patel chaired the Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights and Minorities; Option D (K.M. Munshi) is wrong because Munshi was a member of the Drafting Committee, not chairman of the Steering Committee.

Correct Answer: A. Municipalities

• **Twelfth Schedule** = added by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (1992); contains 18 functional items for Municipalities. • **74th Amendment** — came into force on June 1, 1993; created Part IX-A (Municipalities) alongside Part IX (Panchayats added by 73rd Amendment). • 💡 Option B (Panchayats) is wrong because Panchayats are covered by the Eleventh Schedule added by the 73rd Amendment; Option C (Languages) is wrong because languages are listed in the Eighth Schedule; Option D (Anti-defection) is wrong because the Anti-Defection Law is in the Tenth Schedule added by the 52nd Amendment (1985).

Correct Answer: C. 61st Amendment

• **61st Amendment Act, 1988** = reduced the voting age for Lok Sabha and State Assembly elections from 21 years to 18 years, effective 1989. • **Article 326** — this article governs elections to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies; the 61st Amendment changed the minimum age in this article. • 💡 Option A (42nd Amendment) is wrong because the 42nd Amendment (1976) added 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity' to the Preamble; Option B (44th Amendment) is wrong because the 44th Amendment (1978) removed the Right to Property from Fundamental Rights and reversed 42nd Amendment changes; Option D (86th Amendment) is wrong because the 86th Amendment (2002) inserted Article 21A making free education a fundamental right for children 6–14.

Correct Answer: B. Japan

• **Japan** = source country for the phrase 'Procedure established by law' used in Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. • **Article 21** — states no person shall be deprived of life or liberty except according to 'procedure established by law'; this means a validly enacted law justifies deprivation, unlike the US's broader 'due process'. • 💡 Option A (France) is wrong because France contributed Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity in the Preamble, not procedural law concepts; Option C (UK) is wrong because UK contributed the Parliamentary System and Single Citizenship; Option D (USA) is wrong because the USA uses 'Due process of law' which is broader and includes substantive fairness, not 'Procedure established by law'.

Correct Answer: C. 22

• **22 Parts** = the original Indian Constitution of 1950 was divided into 22 parts; the current Constitution has 25 parts. • **395 Articles, 8 Schedules** — the original Constitution had 395 articles and 8 schedules; currently it has more than 470 articles (with insertions) and 12 schedules. • 💡 Option A (25) is wrong because 25 is the current number of parts after amendments, not the original number; Option B (18) is wrong because no stage of the Constitution had 18 parts; Option D (20) is wrong because the Constitution has never had exactly 20 parts.

Correct Answer: A. Government of India Act 1935

• **Government of India Act, 1935** = considered the blueprint of the Indian Constitution; about two-thirds of constitutional provisions were drawn from it. • **Key Provisions Borrowed** — federal scheme, office of Governor, judiciary structure, Public Service Commissions, and emergency provisions all trace to the 1935 Act. • 💡 Option B (Indian Independence Act 1947) is wrong because it only provided for the partition of British India and transfer of power — it did not provide constitutional structure; Option C (Government of India Act 1919) is wrong because it introduced Dyarchy and bicameralism, not the federal blueprint; Option D (Indian Councils Act 1909) is wrong because it introduced separate electorates and expanded legislative councils, not a federal structure.

Correct Answer: A. USA

• **USA** = original source of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) concept; introduced into India's judicial system in the 1980s. • **Indian Pioneers** — Justice P.N. Bhagwati and Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer were the two judges who pioneered PIL in India, relaxing the strict rule of locus standi. • 💡 Option B (UK) is wrong because the UK follows parliamentary sovereignty and has a restrictive standing requirement that limits public interest litigation; Option C (India) is wrong because while India developed PIL innovatively, the concept originated in the USA; Option D (Australia) is wrong because Australia contributed the Concurrent List and Joint Sitting of Parliament, not PIL.

Correct Answer: C. Seventh Schedule

• **Seventh Schedule** = contains the three lists — Union List (List I), State List (List II), and Concurrent List (List III) — dividing legislative powers between Centre and States. • **List Sizes** — Union List has 100 subjects (originally 97); State List has 61 (originally 66); Concurrent List has 52 (originally 47); Parliament legislates on residuary subjects. • 💡 Option A (Eighth Schedule) is wrong because the Eighth Schedule lists the 22 officially recognized languages of India; Option B (Sixth Schedule) is wrong because the Sixth Schedule relates to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram; Option D (Ninth Schedule) is wrong because the Ninth Schedule contains laws protected from judicial scrutiny, added by the First Amendment (1951).