Indian Polity & Constitution MCQs

Notes:
The parliament of India has power to make laws, organizing jurisdiction and powers of supreme court. The number of judges can be increased or decreased by the parliament by legislation. There was a Provision in our constitution originally that there will be a CJ and 7 other judges. This number was raised to 10 in 1956, 13 in 1960, 17 in 1977, 25 in 1985. Later number of judges in the supreme court was further raised. The Supreme Court of India has a sanctioned strength of 34 Judges currently.

Notes:
Constitution of India did not codify permanent laws for citizenship and put this onus on parliament. Using the powers of article 10 and 11, the parliament enacted Citizenship Act 1955 which has been amended from time to time. This act mentions four ways in which a person may be Indian citizen viz. by birth, by descent, by registration and by naturalization. Citizenship by birth and descent are called natural citizens.

Notes:
Dr. Sachchidananda Sinha was the first president (temporary chairman) of the Constituent Assembly when it met on December 9, 1946. Dr. Rajendra Prasad then became the President of the Constituent Assembly, and would later become the first President of India. The Vice President of the Constituent Assembly was Professor Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, a former Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University and a prominent Christian from Bengal, who also served as the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly’s Minorities Committee; he was appointed Governor of West Bengal after India became a republic.

Notes:
Supreme Court of India came into existence on 26th January, 1950 and it started working on 28th of January, 1950 from the premises of of Parliament house. It moved to current building in 1958.

Notes:
The 6 states with bicameral legislature are Bihar, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Notes:
In December 1977, the Janta Government appointed a 13 member committee which was headed by Mr. Ashok Mehta. The committee was appointed for following:

• What are the causes responsible for poor performance of the PRIs?
• What measures should be taken to improve performance of the PRIs?

The Ashok Mehta committee submitted its report in 1978 and made more than 130 recommendations

Notes:
The Right to Property was initially a fundamental right under Article 31 of the Indian Constitution but was removed from the list of fundamental rights by the 44th Amendment in 1978, making it a legal right under Article 300A. This change was largely due to extensive litigation and disputes over land acquisition and property rights, leading to important judicial interpretations and challenges. The shift reflects the complexities and conflicts surrounding property rights in India, making it a focal point of legal contention.

Notes:
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008 which was passed by the parliament seeks to reserve 25% of seats in the private schools for weaker sections of the society.

Notes:
From 1991 to 2000, Indian parliament saw maximum number of prime ministers. During this period 6 prime ministers took oath. Atal Bihari Vajpayee took oath 3 times in this decade.

Notes:
Hindi which is also listed in the eighth schedule of the constitution of India comes under the official language of India category.