Indian Constitution

Article 368 of the Indian Constitution empowers Parliament to amend the Constitution. This article specifies the procedure for constitutional amendments, requiring a special majority in Parliament and ratification by states for certain provisions.

The Finance Commission is a constitutional body appointed by the President under Article 280 of the Indian Constitution. It recommends financial relations between the Centre and states.

Under Article 164(4) of the Indian Constitution, a minister who is not a member of the Legislature must become a member within six months. If they fail to get elected in a by-election within this period, they must resign.

The Rajya Sabha has limited financial powers - it cannot amend or reject Money Bills, can only discuss them for 14 days, and crucially, no Money Bill can be introduced in the Rajya Sabha (only in Lok Sabha).

The Constituent Assembly of India was formed in December 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan. It framed the Constitution between 1946-1949, and the Constitution was adopted on 26th November 1949.

The Ninth Schedule of the Indian Constitution was added by the First Amendment in 1951 to include land reform laws. It was created to protect laws related to land reform from judicial review. The other schedules serve different purposes.

Writ jurisdiction of Article 32 and 226 is suspended during emergency under Articles 359 and 358. MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act) and NSA (National Security Act) explicitly exclude writ jurisdiction. ESMA also has similar restrictions during certain conditions. Thus, writ jurisdiction is not available against MISA and NSA.

Article 360 of the Indian Constitution deals with financial emergency. It can be declared by the President if there is a financial instability in India (or a part thereof). War/external threat is Article 352, state failure is Article 356, and armed rebellion is not a separate ground.

Zero Hour is the time period immediately following Question Hour in Parliament (usually around 12 noon) when MPs can raise matters of urgent public importance with prior notice to the speaker. It is not related to Money Bills, opposition proposals, or session intervals.

Article 75(5) of the Indian Constitution states that a Minister who is not a member of Parliament for six consecutive months ceases to be a Minister. This means a non-MP can be appointed for a maximum of six months and must get elected to either House within that period.

The Indian Constitution establishes a parliamentary system (like UK), not a presidential system. Basic features include: federal structure, parliamentary form, independence of judiciary, fundamental rights, etc. Presidential government is a US-style feature not present in the Indian system.

Article 148(2) of the Indian Constitution states that the CAG shall be appointed by the President of India. The Speaker (Lok Sabha) and Chairman (Rajya Sabha) are not involved in the CAG's appointment. The CAG serves for 6 years or until age 65.

The Rajya Sabha is the upper house of the Indian Parliament, and seats are allocated to states based on their population size. This ensures proportional representation for the states in the federal structure.

What is Zero hour?

According to Article 85 of the Indian Constitution, the maximum gap between two sessions of Parliament cannot exceed six months.

According to Article 84 of the Indian Constitution, the minimum age to be a member of the Lok Sabha is 25 years.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly.

The Tenth Schedule was added to the Constitution by the 52nd Amendment Act, 1985 and contains provisions regarding disqualification of members of Parliament and State Legislatures on grounds of defection. This schedule deals with anti-defection laws that penalize legislators who switch party allegiance after elections. The provisions help maintain party discipline and stability in the legislative system.

Article 157 of the Constitution lays down the qualifications for becoming a Governor. A person must be a citizen of India, should have completed the age of 35 years, and should not hold any office of profit. Appointment as Governor requires all three qualifications to be satisfied simultaneously.

Article 312 confers special powers on the Rajya Sabha to pass a resolution by two-thirds majority empowering Parliament to make laws on matters in the State List and to create one or more All India Services. This is a unique power not available to the Lok Sabha. The other options describe functions that belong to other constitutional bodies or procedures.

Directive Principles are classified into socialist, Gandhian, and liberal-intellectual categories. Legal aid to poor, compulsory primary education, and minimum wages for workers are explicitly mentioned as Directive Principles (Articles 39A, 45, and 43 respectively). Adult education is not specifically mentioned as a Directive Principle in the Constitution.

The Right to Property was a fundamental right under Article 31 but was removed from the list of fundamental rights by the 44th Constitutional Amendment, 1975. It is now a legal right under Article 300A. All other options remain as fundamental rights - Right to Equality (Article 14-18) and Right to Constitutional Remedies (Article 32).