President & VP — Set 2

Correct Answer: C. Any number of times

• **Article 57** = explicitly allows any person who holds or has held the office of President to be eligible for re-election, with no limit on the number of terms. • **No term limit** — India imposes no cap, unlike the USA (2 terms) or France (2 terms); Dr. Rajendra Prasad is the only Indian President to have served two consecutive terms. • 💡 Option A (Two times) is the US Presidential limit under the 22nd Amendment — not an Indian rule. Option B (One time) is more restrictive than Indian law actually is. Option D (Three times) — there is no such fixed three-term ceiling under the Indian Constitution.

Correct Answer: C. Supreme Court

• **Article 71** = grants the Supreme Court exclusive and final jurisdiction over disputes relating to the election of the President and Vice-President. • **SC decision is final** — no appeal lies against the SC's ruling on Presidential election disputes; this is a special original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. • 💡 Option A (Parliament) does not adjudicate election disputes — it legislates; disputes go to courts, not Parliament. Option B (Election Commission) supervises elections and counts votes but has no authority to decide Presidential election disputes — only the SC has. Option D (High Court) has no jurisdiction over Presidential election disputes — it is exclusively the Supreme Court.

Correct Answer: A. Dr. Rajendra Prasad

• **Dr. Rajendra Prasad** = first President of India (1950–1962), also the only President to serve two full consecutive terms. • **1950–1962** — served from January 26, 1950 (Republic Day, when the Constitution came into force) until May 14, 1962. • 💡 Option B (V.V. Giri) was the 4th President (1969–74), notable for winning with the help of cross-voting. Option C (Zakir Hussain) was the 3rd President (1967–69) — first Muslim President — who died in office. Option D (S. Radhakrishnan) was the 2nd President (1962–67), also the 1st Vice-President.

Correct Answer: C. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

• **Neelam Sanjiva Reddy** = 6th President of India (1977–82), the only President ever elected unopposed — no other candidate filed nominations. • **Speaker → President** — he is also the only former Speaker of Lok Sabha to become President; he served as Speaker twice (1967 and 1977). • 💡 Option A (Zakir Hussain) was elected in 1967 in a contested election — not unopposed. Option B (R. Venkataraman) was the 8th President (1987–92) elected in a normal contested election. Option D (K.R. Narayanan) was the 10th President (1997–2002) and first Dalit President — also a contested election.

Correct Answer: A. Giani Zail Singh

• **Pocket Veto** = the President neither gives assent nor returns a bill — simply keeps it pending; effective because the Constitution prescribes no time limit for Presidential assent on ordinary bills. • **Giani Zail Singh (1986)** = 7th President; withheld action on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill indefinitely, exercising the only known Pocket Veto in Indian history. • 💡 Option B (V.V. Giri) was the 4th President and did not exercise the Pocket Veto — he is noted for the contested 1969 election. Option C (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam) sent the Office of Profit Bill back for reconsideration (Suspensive Veto, 2006) but did not pocket-veto it. Option D (K.R. Narayanan) used the Suspensive Veto twice — returning bills for reconsideration — not the Pocket Veto.

Correct Answer: D. Money Bill

• **Money Bill (Article 117)** = can only be introduced in Lok Sabha and only with the prior recommendation of the President — no other bill type requires this pre-introduction Presidential recommendation. • **President cannot return Money Bill** — since the President's prior permission was given before introduction, the convention is that the President gives assent; returning it would be constitutionally incongruous. • 💡 Option A (Constitution Amendment Bill) does not need prior Presidential recommendation — it requires special majority in Parliament and sometimes state ratification. Option B (Private Member Bill) is introduced by a non-minister MP and needs no Presidential recommendation. Option C (Ordinary Bill) can be introduced without Presidential recommendation in either House.

Correct Answer: D. President

• **Article 108** = empowers the President to summon a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament to break a deadlock on an ordinary bill. • **Speaker presides** — the joint sitting is presided over by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, not the President or VP; the combined strength of both Houses votes together. • 💡 Option A (Vice-President) is the Chairman of Rajya Sabha and presides over RS sessions, but does NOT summon joint sittings — that power belongs to the President. Option B (Speaker of Lok Sabha) presides over the joint sitting but does not summon it. Option C (Prime Minister) advises the President on various matters but has no constitutional power to summon a joint sitting.

Correct Answer: B. 12 members

• **Article 80** = empowers the President to nominate 12 members to the Rajya Sabha from persons having special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art, and social service. • **12 nominated members** — Rajya Sabha has a total strength of 250 (238 elected + 12 nominated); these 12 are chosen for expertise, not political affiliation. • 💡 Option A (10 members) is incorrect — the Constitution specifically fixes the number at 12. Option C (6 members) is the number of Anglo-Indian members previously nominated to Lok Sabha (now abolished by 104th Amendment, 2020). Option D (2 members) has no constitutional basis for any nomination quota in Parliament.

Correct Answer: D. Finance Commission Report

• **Finance Commission Report** = under Article 281, the President is required to cause the recommendations of the Finance Commission to be laid before each House of Parliament. • **Presidential tabling duty** — the President similarly places before Parliament the reports of the CAG (Art. 151), (Art. 323), and Election Commission; it is a constitutional oversight mechanism. • 💡 Option A (CBI Report) — the CBI is an investigative body; its reports are not constitutionally required to be laid before Parliament by the President. Option B (RBI Report) — the RBI's Annual Report goes to the Finance Ministry, not routed via Presidential tabling. Option C (NITI Aayog Report) — NITI Aayog is a policy think-tank, not a constitutional body; its reports have no such mandatory tabling procedure.

Correct Answer: A. Rajya Sabha

• **Article 64** = declares the Vice-President to be the Ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; he presides over its sessions. • **Not a Rajya Sabha member** — the VP chairs the Rajya Sabha but does not hold membership; he cannot vote in the first instance, only casting a vote in case of a tie. • 💡 Option B (NITI Aayog) is chaired by the Prime Minister, not the Vice-President. Option C (Vidhan Sabha) is the State Legislative Assembly chaired by the Speaker — entirely a state body. Option D (Lok Sabha) is chaired by the Speaker of Lok Sabha — the VP has no role in Lok Sabha.