Indian Polity & Constitution MCQs

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Sikkim became a state of India via the Thirty-sixth Amendment Act, 1975 on 26th April, 1975. The Sikkim State day is observed on 16th May of every year because this was the day when the first Chief Minister of Sikkim assumed office.

Notes:
The makers of the Constitution of India chose the scheme of federation from the model prevalent in Canada. The Indian federal structure is often described as “quasi-federal” because it has a strong central government, much like the Canadian model, which combines elements of both federalism and unitary governance.

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According to Article 343 (1) of the Constitution of India Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union of India. However, use of English for official purposes was also made possible by same article.

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Fundamental Duties of citizens were added to the Indian Constitution in 1976 by the 42nd Amendment. The 42nd Amendment was based on recommendations from the Swaran Singh Committee. The Committee was set up in 1976 to recommend changes to the Constitution. The Fundamental Duties are listed in Article 51 ‘A’, which is in Part IV A of the Constitution. There are 11 fundamental duties listed in the Constitution. The 86th Constitutional Amendment Act of 2002 added the 11th fundamental duty, which is to provide educational opportunities for children between the ages of six and fourteen.

Notes:

• A starred question is distinguished by an asterisk and needs an oral answer. Since the answer is oral, supplementary questions might follow a starred question.
• An un-starred question requires written answer. Since the answer is given in written, there cannot be supplementary questions that follow an un-stared question

A question relating to a matter of public importance of an urgent character asked with notice shorter than ten days is called a “Short Notice Question” Short Notice questions are generally answered orally

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The States Reorganisation Act was enacted on 31 August 1956. The outcome of the Act was the creation of 14 states and 6 Union Territories.

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The first chairman of the National Commission for Women (NCW) in India was Mohini Giri. Established in 1992, the NCW aims to review legal and constitutional safeguards for women, recommend remedial measures, and ensure their rights are upheld. Mohini Giri, a prominent social activist and advocate for women’s rights, played a crucial role in shaping the commission’s agenda during its formative years.

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The President of India appoints Chief Justice of a High Court by Exercising the powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India.

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The first preventive detention bill of Independent India was moved in 1950 by Sardar Patel. Patel had said that he had several sleepless nights before deciding if it was necessary to introduce the bill. Consequently, the Preventive Detention Act, 1950 was enacted by the Parliament on 26th February 1950.

Notes:
The concept of judicial review, which gives the judiciary the power to review the constitutionality of legislative and executive acts, is borrowed in the Indian Constitution from the United States. Article 13 and Article 32 specifically provide for judicial review and are inspired by the 1803 landmark case of Marbury v. Madison in the US Supreme Court. This laid down judicial review allowing American courts to examine the constitutional validity of acts by the legislature and executive. Thus, the power of courts to judicially review laws and actions to check their alignment with the Constitution comes from legal principles established in the American constitutional system.