Indian Politics Questions and Answers

Answer: B

The Act provides for a Human Rights Court in every district.

Section 30 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 allows the state government, with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, to specify a Court of Session in each district as a Human Rights Court, for the speedy trial of offences arising from violations of human rights. The Act also set up the National Human Rights Commission and the State Human Rights Commissions.

The Backward Classes Commission and the Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission derive from the Constitution, and NITI Aayog was set up by an executive resolution in 2015. None comes from the 1993 Act.

Answer: C

The Act was launched on 14th November 2011.

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act, 2011 came into force on 14 November 2011. It guarantees that notified public services, such as certificates, licences and connections, are delivered within fixed time limits, with designated officers, appeals and penalties for delay.

The other dates are not when this Act came into force. 25 January is National Voters' Day and 14 April is Ambedkar Jayanti, which makes them plausible-looking distractors, but neither is the date of the Rajasthan Act.

Answer: D

Fundamental Duties were borrowed from the Constitution of the USSR.

The Fundamental Duties were added to the Indian Constitution as Article 51A (Part IVA) by the 42nd Amendment of 1976, on the recommendation of the Swaran Singh Committee. The idea was modelled on the constitution of the former Soviet Union, which listed the duties of citizens alongside their rights.

Ireland is the source of the Directive Principles of State Policy, Canada of the federation with a strong Centre, and France of the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity in the Preamble.

Answer: B

The post of Rajpramukh was abolished with effect from 01 November, 1956.

The Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956, which implemented the reorganisation of states, abolished the classification of states into Parts A, B, C and D and with it the office of Rajpramukh in the former Part B states such as Rajasthan. It came into force on 1 November 1956, the same day as the States Reorganisation Act, and from then Rajasthan had a Governor. Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur had been its Rajpramukh.

The 1955 dates come before the amendment was passed, and 10 November 1956 is a slip on the correct month.

Answer: B

The Chief Minister is appointed by the Governor.

Article 164(1) provides that the Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor, and the other ministers by the Governor on the Chief Minister's advice. By convention the Governor appoints the leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly.

The President appoints the Prime Minister and the Governors themselves, the Prime Minister has no role in choosing a state's Chief Minister, and the Chief Justice of India administers no oath at the state level.

Answer: B

The states are i, iii, iv and v only: Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

The proviso to Article 164(1) of the Constitution requires these four states to have a Minister in charge of tribal welfare, who may also look after the welfare of Scheduled Castes and backward classes. Like every minister, this minister is appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister.

Bihar was originally on the list, but the 94th Amendment of 2006 removed it, since most of its tribal areas went to Jharkhand, and added Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Any option including ii is therefore wrong.

Answer: A

The answer is a, b and c only.

Under Article 217(2), a High Court judge must be a citizen of India and must have either held a judicial office in India for at least ten years or been an advocate of a High Court, or two or more such courts in succession, for at least ten years. Statements b and c are these two alternative routes.

The 'distinguished jurist' route exists only for the Supreme Court under Article 124(3), not for High Courts, and the Constitution sets no minimum age for appointment; a High Court judge retires at 62. That rules out options including d or e.

Answer: A

The Chairman can take part in proceedings.

The Vice-President is ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Under Article 92 of the Constitution, while a resolution for his removal is under consideration he cannot preside, but he has the right to speak in and otherwise take part in the proceedings of the House. He is not entitled to vote at all, either on that resolution or on any other matter during those proceedings.

So 'can not take part' is wrong, and voting on the resolution and presiding over the House are exactly what he may not do.

Answer: B

The motion needs the support of one-fifth of the total number of members of the Assembly.

Under the Assembly's rules of procedure, a motion of no confidence in the Council of Ministers may be moved only with the Speaker's consent. The Speaker asks those in favour to rise, and if not less than one-fifth of the members of the House rise, leave is granted. For a house of 200 members that is 40. The Board's key gives 1/5, and the Delhi Assembly's rule is worded the same way, which fits this pattern.

The other fractions are not the threshold. In the Lok Sabha the requirement is a fixed 50 members, which is close to one-tenth of its strength, and that is where the 1/10 distractor comes from. One-third and one-twelfth have no basis in the procedure.

Answer: C

The answer is a, c, d and e only.

The Third Schedule sets out the forms of oath or affirmation for Union and state ministers, candidates for election to Parliament and to state legislatures, Members of Parliament and of state legislatures, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. That covers a, c, d and e.

The Vice President is not in it. His oath is laid down in Article 69 of the Constitution itself, just as the President's is in Article 60. So every option including b is wrong.