Indian Polity

Article 17 of the Indian Constitution explicitly abolishes untouchability and forbids its practice in any form. It is a fundamental right under the Right to Equality.

The abolition of untouchability is provided under Article 17 of the Indian Constitution. This article is part of the Right to Equality, which spans from Article 14 to Article 18. This right ensures that no individual is discriminated against or subjected to social disabilities based on their birth or caste.

The Prime Minister of India serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Planning Commission. This body was established in 1950 to formulate India's Five-Year Plans for economic development. In 2015, the Planning Commission was replaced by the NITI Aayog, which is also chaired by the Prime Minister.

The 52nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1985 introduced the anti-defection law to prevent political defections motivated by lure of office or material benefits. It added the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution, which lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection. This was the first time such provisions were formally incorporated into the Indian Constitution.

The correct chronological order is: Communal G.O. of Madras (1921), Scheduled Caste Order (1950), Untouchability Offences Act (1955), and the Protection of Civil Rights Act (1976). The 1976 Act was actually a renaming and strengthening of the 1955 Act. This sequence reflects the legal evolution of social justice measures in India.

Under Article 368, a constitutional amendment bill must be passed by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha with a special majority, and there is no provision for a joint sitting. In contrast, the Rajya Sabha has more power in creating New All India Services (Article 312) and less power in financial matters like cut motions or the removal of the government. Therefore, equality is specifically maintained in the amendment process.

Article 30 of the Indian Constitution recognizes minorities based on either religion or language. It grants these communities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. Other factors like race or caste are not the constitutional criteria for declaring a minority community.

Altering the name of a state is the power of the Parliament under Article 3, not the State Legislature. While the President refers the bill to the state legislature for its views, the Parliament has the final authority to pass the law. The other pairs correctly match the constitutional provisions regarding equality and state creation.

A lame-duck session refers to the final session of the existing Lok Sabha after a new Lok Sabha has been elected. The members of the existing Lok Sabha who could not get re-elected to the new Lok Sabha are called 'lame ducks.' This session provides a transition period before the new House is formally constituted.

According to the principle of collective responsibility under Article 75, the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. If a no-confidence motion is passed against even a single minister, it is considered a loss of confidence in the entire government. Consequently, the entire Council of Ministers, including the Prime Minister, must resign.

The President previously nominated two members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha under Article 331 if they were not adequately represented. However, this provision was discontinued by the 104th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019. In the context of traditional polity questions, this remains the standard historical answer.

Sir B.N. Rau was appointed as the Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly in 1946. He prepared the initial draft of the Constitution, which was later scrutinized and refined by the Drafting Committee led by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. His expertise in international and constitutional law was instrumental in shaping the Indian Constitution.

The Golaknath vs State of Punjab case (1967) is a landmark judgment where the Supreme Court ruled that Fundamental Rights cannot be curtailed by Parliament. Other cases like State of West Bengal vs Union of India primarily dealt with federalism and the distribution of powers. Golaknath set the stage for the eventual 'Basic Structure' doctrine established in the Kesavananda Bharati case.

Fundamental Duties were not part of the original Constitution; they were added by the 42nd Amendment Act in 1976 based on the recommendations of the Swaran Singh Committee. Originally ten in number, an eleventh duty was added by the 86th Amendment Act in 2002. They are contained in Part IV-A, Article 51A of the Constitution.

The Lok Sabha has exclusive power over Money Bills, which cannot be introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Additionally, a motion of no-confidence can only be introduced and passed in the Lok Sabha to remove the Council of Ministers. Ratifying an emergency and impeaching the President are powers shared equally by both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

Under Article 200, the Governor must reserve a Bill for the President's consideration if it endangers the constitutional position and powers of the High Court. For other matters, the Governor has the discretion to reserve a Bill but is not mandated to do so. This provision ensures that state legislation does not undermine the independence or jurisdiction of the judiciary.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was elected as the permanent President of the Constituent Assembly on December 11, 1946. Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha had served as the temporary/interim President during the first meeting on December 9, 1946, following the French practice of electing the oldest member. Dr. Prasad later became the first President of the Republic of India.

Judicial review is the power of the judiciary to examine the constitutionality of legislative enactments and executive orders. If a law or order is found to violate the Constitution, the courts can declare it null and void. This mechanism ensures the supremacy of the Constitution and protects the fundamental rights of citizens.

In 2003, the Representation of the People Act was amended to introduce open voting for Rajya Sabha elections to curb cross-voting. Under this system, an MLA must show their marked ballot to their party's authorized agent. This differs from the secret ballot used in general elections or Presidential elections.

On January 26, 1950, the Preamble described India as a 'Sovereign Democratic Republic.' The words 'Socialist' and 'Secular' were added later by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 1976. Therefore, the status in 1950 did not include those two terms.

In the Golaknath vs State of Punjab case (1967), the Supreme Court ruled that Fundamental Rights are given a transcendental position and the Parliament has no power to amend them. This decision was later modified in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), which introduced the Basic Structure doctrine. The Golaknath ruling specifically focused on the limitation of Article 368 regarding Part III of the Constitution.

The Vice-President of India serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha but is not a member of either House of Parliament. This is a unique position where the presiding officer does not belong to the body they lead. In contrast, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha must be an elected member of that House.

The Vice-President is elected by an electoral college consisting of all members of both Houses of Parliament, including nominated members. This differs from the Presidential election, where nominated members and members of State Legislative Assemblies do not participate. The election is held in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

Article 3 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Parliament to form new states and alter the areas, boundaries, or names of existing states. While the President must refer the bill to the concerned state legislature for its views, the Parliament is not bound by those views. This reflects the unitary bias of the Indian federal system where the territorial integrity of states is not guaranteed.

Protecting monuments and places of national importance is a Directive Principle of State Policy under Article 49. Fundamental Duties, listed in Article 51A, include respecting the National Anthem, safeguarding public property, and protecting the natural environment. Distinguishing between Part IV (DPSPs) and Part IV-A (Fundamental Duties) is essential for understanding constitutional obligations.

W.H. Morris-Jones used the term 'one-party dominance' to describe the political reality of India where the Congress Party held power at both the center and in most states. While Rajni Kothari developed the concept of 'The Congress System' to explain this dominance, Morris-Jones provided the initial classification of the party system. This dominance lasted until the late 1960s when coalition politics began to emerge.

The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 added four new Directive Principles to the Constitution: Article 39 (opportunities for healthy development of children), Article 39A (free legal aid), Article 43A (participation of workers in management), and Article 48A (protection of environment). Minimizing inequalities in income and status was added later by the 44th Amendment Act of 1978 under Article 38. Therefore, only statements 1, 3, and 4 are correct.

The Indian federation features a bicameral legislature at the federal level (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) and an independent, impartial judiciary. Unlike the US federation, India does not provide equal representation to all states in the Upper House, nor does it allow for double citizenship. These features make the Indian system a unique blend of federal and unitary characteristics.