State Legislature — Set 4

Correct Answer: C. Deputy Speaker

• **Deputy Speaker presides** = when the Speaker is absent or the Speaker's post is vacant, the Deputy Speaker presides over the State Legislative Assembly. • **Elected by the Assembly** — the Deputy Speaker is elected by the members of the Assembly from among themselves, just like the Speaker; the Deputy Speaker wields identical powers when presiding. • 💡 Option A (Governor) does not preside over Assembly sittings — the Governor's address is a special occasion, not a presiding role; Option B (Senior-most member) is the Pro-tem Speaker convention for first sittings only; Option D (Chief Minister) leads the government but has no presiding authority over the House.

Correct Answer: B. Proportional Representation by Single Transferable Vote

• **PR-STV system** = members of the Legislative Council are elected using Proportional Representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV), an indirect election method. • **Indirect election** — Council members elected by local bodies, MLAs, graduates, and teachers all use the PR-STV method; it ensures minority groups get fair representation. • 💡 Option A (Direct Universal Suffrage) is used only for the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha); Option C (First Past the Post) is the FPTP method used for Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections; Option D (List System) is used in some countries but is not a recognized Indian election method.

Correct Answer: C. Article 194

• **Article 194** = deals with the powers, privileges, and immunities of the State Legislature, its members, and committees — including freedom of speech in the House and protection from court proceedings. • **Freedom of speech in House** — members cannot be prosecuted in any court for anything said or any vote given in the legislature; Article 194(1) guarantees this absolute privilege. • 💡 Option A (Article 368) deals with Constitutional Amendment procedure — unrelated to legislative privileges; Option B (Article 105) covers privileges of Parliament members, not state legislature; Option D (Article 243) deals with Panchayati Raj institutions — not legislative privileges.

Correct Answer: A. Election Commission of India

• **Election Commission of India** = the Election Commission of India (ECI), under Article 324, superintends, directs, and controls elections to State Legislative Assemblies and Councils. • **Not State EC** — the State Election Commission (created by the 73rd/74th Amendments) is responsible only for Panchayat and Municipality elections, not Assembly elections. • 💡 Option B (Governor) does not conduct elections — the Governor summons and prorogues the legislature but has no electoral role; Option C (State High Court) handles election disputes (election petitions) but does not conduct elections; Option D (State Election Commission) only handles local body elections — not state legislature elections.

Correct Answer: C. No, it is a permanent body

• **Permanent body — cannot be dissolved** = the Legislative Council is a continuing/permanent chamber like the Rajya Sabha; it cannot be dissolved by the Governor under any circumstances. • **1/3 retire every 2 years** — to maintain continuity, one-third of Council members retire every two years; the Council as a body never ceases to exist. • 💡 Option A (Yes, during emergency) — even during a National Emergency the Council is not dissolved; Option B (Yes, with President's permission) — no such constitutional provision exists for dissolving the Council; Option D (Yes, on CM's advice) — the CM can advise dissolution of the Assembly, not the Council.

Correct Answer: D. To examine the CAG report

• **. • **Chairman from opposition** — by convention, the chairperson of the PAC is from the opposition party, ensuring independent scrutiny of government spending. • 💡 Option A (To draft laws) is the function of select/standing committees and the legislature itself — not the PAC; Option B (To appoint officials) is an executive function; Option C (To review policy matters) is done by departmentally-related standing committees, not the PAC whose focus is post-expenditure audit.

Correct Answer: D. The bill is dead

• **Bill is dead** = if a bill originating in the Legislative Council is rejected by the Legislative Assembly, the bill is finished — it cannot be revived; the Assembly's rejection is final. • **Assembly supremacy** — unlike Parliament (where Rajya Sabha can cause a deadlock resolved by joint sitting), in the state legislature the Assembly's will is absolute; there is no joint sitting mechanism. • 💡 Option A (Governor decides) — the Governor has no role in resolving disagreements between the two Houses on a bill; Option B (Sent back to Council) — once the Assembly rejects it, the bill does not return to the Council; Option C (Joint sitting is called) — there is NO provision for joint sitting in the State Legislature; this is a Parliament-only feature.

Correct Answer: D. State Legislature

• **State Legislature fixes by law** = the salaries and allowances of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly are determined by the State Legislature through a law. • **Charged on Consolidated Fund** — though fixed by the Legislature, these salaries are charged on the Consolidated Fund of the State and are non-votable, ensuring the presiding officers' financial independence. • 💡 Option A (Governor) is the executive head but has no power to fix legislative salaries; Option B (Civil Service Rules) apply to civil servants, not constitutional functionaries like the Speaker; Option C (Parliament) fixes salaries for its own presiding officers, not for state legislature presiding officers.

Correct Answer: D. 1986

• **1986 — Tamil Nadu** = the Legislative Council of Tamil Nadu was abolished in 1986 during the Chief Ministership of M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). • **Article 169 used** — Parliament passed the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1986 using Article 169, after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a resolution requesting abolition. • 💡 Option A (1972) is not the year of Tamil Nadu Council abolition; Option B (1967) is when the DMK came to power in Tamil Nadu but not the year of Council abolition; Option C (1991) is after the actual abolition — the Council was already gone by then.

Correct Answer: D. Article 168

• **Article 168** = provides for the constitution of Legislatures in States; it states that every State shall have a Legislature consisting of the Governor and one or two Houses. • **Bicameral vs unicameral** — Article 168(1) specifically names the states with two Houses (bicameral); all other states have only a Legislative Assembly (unicameral). • 💡 Option A (Article 170) deals with the composition (number of seats) of the Legislative Assembly — not its constitution; Option B (Article 214) provides for High Courts in states; Option C (Article 153) mandates a Governor for each state — it is about the executive, not the legislature.