Governor & CM — Set 4

Correct Answer: B. Sucheta Kripalani

• **Sucheta Kripalani** = first woman Chief Minister of any Indian state; became CM of Uttar Pradesh in October 1963. • **Freedom fighter** — she was a prominent Congress leader and freedom fighter who participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942. • 💡 Option A (Sasikala Kakodkar) was CM of Goa much later (1990s), not the first woman CM; Option C (Nandini Satpathy) was CM of Odisha in the 1970s, after Sucheta Kripalani; Option D (Mayawati) became CM of UP in 1995, decades after the first woman CM.

Correct Answer: B. Sarkaria Commission

• **Sarkaria Commission (1983)** = set up by the Central Government to; made key recommendations on the Governor's role and appointment. • **Key recommendation** — Governor should be an eminent, detached figure not belonging to the state's politics; should not be removed arbitrarily. • 💡 Option A (Shah Commission, 1977) investigated Emergency-era excesses, not Governor's role; Option C (Mandal Commission, 1979) dealt with reservations for OBCs; Option D (Kothari Commission, 1964).

Correct Answer: A. 6 months

• **6-month gap** = maximum allowed gap between two sessions of the state legislature is six months; Governor must ensure this limit is not crossed. • **At least twice a year** — this rule ensures the state legislature meets a minimum of twice annually, maintaining legislative oversight. • 💡 Option B (9 months) exceeds the constitutional limit and is incorrect; Option C (1 year) would allow only one session annually, which is not permitted; Option D (3 months) is stricter than the Constitution requires — the limit is 6 months, not 3.

Correct Answer: C. Governor

• **Governor summons and prorogues** = Governor has the constitutional power to summon (call to meet) and prorogue (end the session of) the state legislature. • **Distinction** — summoning starts a session; prorogation ends a session; adjournment ends only a sitting (done by the Speaker). • 💡 Option A (Speaker) can only adjourn the house — cannot summon or prorogue; Option B (Chief Justice) has no legislative scheduling role; Option D (Chief Minister) can advise the Governor but the formal power to summon/prorogue belongs to the Governor.

Correct Answer: B. Governor

• **Governor dissolves assembly** = Governor has the power to dissolve the State Legislative Assembly, usually on the advice of the Chief Minister. • **Dissolution vs Prorogation** — dissolution ends the life of the assembly entirely (fresh elections follow); prorogation merely suspends the session. • 💡 Option A (President) dissolves the Lok Sabha at the Union level, not a state assembly; Option C (Chief Minister) can advise dissolution but the formal power rests with the Governor; Option D (Speaker) can adjourn or suspend a sitting but cannot dissolve the house.

Correct Answer: D. High Court Judge

• **High Court Judge qualification** = to be appointed Advocate General, a person must be qualified to be appointed a judge of a High Court. • **Highest law officer** — Advocate General is the top legal officer of the state, equivalent to the Attorney General of India at the Centre. • 💡 Option A (Session Judge) is a lower judiciary rank; Session Judge qualification is not required for Advocate General; Option B (District Judge) is below the High Court level — insufficient qualification; Option C (Supreme Court Judge) qualification is a higher bar than what is required for the Advocate General.

Correct Answer: B. State Legislature

• **State Legislature** = determines the salary and allowances of the Chief Minister by passing a law; this varies from state to state. • **Contrast with Governor** — the Governor's salary is determined by Parliament (not the state legislature), charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State. • 💡 Option A (President) does not determine CM's salary; Option C (Governor) does not set the CM's salary — the State Legislature does; Option D (Parliament) determines the Governor's salary, not the CM's salary.

Correct Answer: B. Consolidated Fund of the State

• **Consolidated Fund of the State** = Governor's salary is charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State, making it non-votable by the state legislature. • **Financial independence** — charging on the Consolidated Fund means the legislature cannot reduce the Governor's salary to influence his actions. • 💡 Option A (Consolidated Fund of India) is where the President's salary is charged, not the Governor's; Option C (Public Account of India) is used for other transactions, not salary; Option D (Contingency Fund of India) is used for unforeseen expenditure, not salary.

Correct Answer: A. No

• **Governor cannot be a legislator** = a Governor cannot be a member of either House of Parliament or any state legislature. • **Automatic vacation** — if a sitting member of any legislature is appointed Governor, they automatically vacate their seat on that date. • 💡 Option B (Yes, but no voting rights) is incorrect — the Constitution bars Governor from membership altogether, not just from voting; Option C (Yes, always) is completely wrong; Option D (Yes, with President's permission) has no constitutional basis — no exception exists.

Correct Answer: A. From legal proceedings for official acts

• **Article 361** = Governor enjoys immunity from legal proceedings for official acts; not answerable to any court for exercise of powers and duties. • **Personal immunity** — this immunity is personal to the Governor, meaning no court proceedings can be initiated against him for official acts during his term. • 💡 Option B (From impeachment) is wrong — no impeachment process exists for Governors; Option C (From tax payments) has no constitutional basis; Option D (From traffic rules) is not a constitutional immunity — Article 361 covers only official acts, not personal activities.