Laxmikanth Test: Salient Features of The Constitution for UPSC Indian Polity

- The Indian Federation is not a result of a state agreement; rather, it is a union created by the Constitution. Hence, Statement 1 is incorrect.

- The Constitution explicitly states that no state has the right to secede from the Indian Federation, making Statement 2 correct.

- Article 1 of the Constitution describes India as a 'Union of States', confirming Statement 3 as correct.

Therefore, the correct answer is 2 and 3 Only.

1: Indian Secularism – Articles 14–15
This is not correctly matched. Articles 14 and 15 relate to the Right to Equality and prohibition of discrimination, but secularism is more directly addressed in the Preamble and Articles 25 to 28, which guarantee freedom of religion. Therefore, this pair is incorrect.

 2: Voting Age – Reduced to 18 from 21 by the 61st Amendment Act of 1988
This is correctly matched. The 61st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1988 amended Article 326 and reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 for elections to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

 3: Single Citizenship – Indian Constitution provides for single citizenship
This is correctly matched. The Indian Constitution provides for single citizenship for the entire country, as opposed to dual citizenship in countries like the United States. This is addressed in Part II of the Constitution, Articles 5 to 11.

 4: Election Commission – Part XV of the Constitution
This is correctly matched. Part XV of the Constitution, comprising Articles 324 to 329, deals with elections and includes provisions related to the Election Commission.

Hence, only three pairs are correctly matched. Therefore, Correct Answer is Option D

The Constituent Assembly, formed in 1946 under the Cabinet Mission Plan, was responsible for drafting the Indian Constitution. To assist in this task, the Assembly set up several committees. One of these, the States Committee, was headed by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Major Committees
1. Union Powers Committee - Jawaharlal Nehru
2. Union Constitution Committee – Jawaharlal Nehru
3. Provincial Constitution Committee – Sardar Patel
4. Drafting Committee - Dr. B.R. Ambedkar
5. Advisory Committee on Fundamental Rights, Minorities and Tribal and Excluded Areas - Sardar Patel. This committee had the following five sub-committees: (a) Fundamental Rights Sub-Committee - J.B. Kripalani (b) Minorities Sub-Committee - H.C. Mukherjee (c) North-East Frontier Tribal Areas and Assam Excluded & Partially Excluded Ar- eas Sub-Committee - Gopinath Bardoloi (d) Excluded and Partially Excluded Areas (Other than those in Assam) Sub-Com- mittee - A.V. Thakkar (e) North-West Frontier Tribal Areas Sub-Committee 8a
6. Rules of Procedure Committee - Dr. Rajendra Prasad
7. States Committee (Committee for Negotiating with States) - Jawaharlal Nehru 8. Steering Committee - Dr. Rajendra Prasad
 

1. Right to Equality: Articles 14-18 - Correct. These articles deal with the Right to Equality in the Indian Constitution.

2. Right to Freedom: Articles 19-22 - Correct. These articles encompass the Right to Freedom.

3. Right against Exploitation: Articles 23-25 - Incorrect. The Right against Exploitation is covered by Articles 23-24.

4. Right to Freedom of Religion: Articles 25-28 - Correct. These articles ensure the Right to Freedom of Religion.

The Constitution of 1950 was a by-product of the legacy started by the Government of India Act 1935. This was the longest act passed by the British government with 321 sections and 10 schedules. This act had drawn its content from four sources – Report of the Simon Commission, discussions and deliberations at the Third Round Table Conference, the White Paper of 1933 and the reports of the Joint select committees.

Statement 1: True. The Supreme Court of India has the power of judicial review and may declare parliamentary or state laws void if they are inconsistent with the Constitution (see Article 13 and constitutional jurisprudence).

Statement 2: False. The American Constitution explicitly uses the phrase 'due process of law' (Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments). The Indian Constitution's Article 21 uses the phrase 'procedure established by law' in its text; however, through judicial interpretation (notably the shift from the A.K. Gopalan approach to the broader Maneka Gandhi doctrine) Indian courts have read into Article 21 safeguards resembling 'due process'. The statement as given reverses the positions and is therefore incorrect.

Statement 3: True. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction to adjudicate and enforce constitutional questions arising from both central and state laws and to ensure they conform to the Constitution.

Hence, Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Correct option: 1 and 3 Only (Option B).

    2. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I

The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2011 indeed granted constitutional status to cooperative societies and included a new Directive Principle for their promotion. Additionally, it empowered both Parliament and state legislatures to legislate for cooperative societies to ensure their democratic and professional functioning. Thus, both statements are correct and Statement-II provides an explanation for Statement-I.

IMPORTANT FACTS
1. Elephant was adopted as the symbol (seal) of the Constituent Assembly.
2. Sir B.N. Rau was appointed as the constitutional advisor (Legal advisor) to the Constituent Assembly.
3. H.V.R. Iyengar was the Secretary to the Constituent Assembly.
4. S.N. Mukerjee was the chief draftsman of the constitution in the Constituent Assembly.
5. Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher of the Indian Constitution.

Among all the committees of the Constituent Assembly, the most important committee was the Drafting Committee set up on August 29, 1947. It was this committee that was entrusted with the task of preparing a draft of the new Constitution. It consisted of seven members.

• Alladi Krishnaswami Ayyar,
• N. Gopalaswami.
• B.R. Ambedkar (Chairman of the drafting committee.)
• K.M Munshi.
• Mohammad Saadulla.
• B.L. Mitter.
• D.P. Khaitan.

• Statement-I correctly outlines the purpose of Emergency Provisions in the Indian Constitution, emphasizing the protection of the nation's sovereignty and unity.
• Statement-II accurately describes the consequences of an Emergency, where the Central Government gains extensive powers and the federal structure temporarily transitions into a unitary form.

However, Statement-II does not directly explain the purpose of the Emergency Provisions as stated in Statement-I. It describes the effects, not the rationale behind the provisions.
Therefore,Correct Answer - Option A