Doctrine of Indian Constitution MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Doctrine of Indian Constitution - Download Free PDF

Know whether the Right to Vote in India is a legal, fundamental, or constitutional right. Explained with facts for UPSC & other exams.

The correct answer is a Constitutional Right.

Key Points

Right to Vote

• Right to vote in elections is an important Constitutional Right. Hence option 3 is correct
• What is true of the right to vote, is also true for the right to contest the election, which means it is also a Constitutional Right.
• However, Article 326 of the Constitution provides for universal adult suffrage but does not specifically mention the right to vote.
• It is celebrated on 25th January every year since the year 2011 to mark the Election Commission’s foundation day.
• It encourages more voters to take part in the political process.
• It observes a different theme every year. The theme for the year 2019 was “No voter to be left behind".
   
• The right to vote is like having a golden ticket to shape our country's future. It's our chance to have a say in who runs our government and how they do it.

Voting is like the heartbeat of our democracy. When we vote, we're:

• Making our voices heard
• Choosing leaders who we think will do a good job
• Showing that we care about our country and its future

Voting in India is quite an experience! Here's how it usually goes:

You get your voter ID card

• Find out where your polling station is
• Stand in line (sometimes for a while, but it's worth it!
• Show your ID and get your finger marked with that famous indelible ink
• Go into the booth and press the button for your chosen candidate
• Feel awesome about doing your civic duty!

The correct answer is Canada.

Key Points

• The framers of the Indian Constitution borrowed the idea of ‘vesting residuary powers with the Centre’ from the Constitution of Canada.
• In the Indian Constitution, residuary powers are mentioned under Article 248 and are assigned to the Union Parliament.
• This contrasts with the federal systems of countries like the United States, where residuary powers are vested with the states.
• The Canadian model influenced India due to its quasi-federal structure, which combines elements of both federal and unitary systems.
• Residuary powers allow the Centre to legislate on matters not enumerated in the Union List, State List, or Concurrent List.

Additional Information

• Federal System:
  • A federal system is a form of government where powers are divided between a central authority and its constituent units (states or provinces).
  • India is often described as a quasi-federal state due to its strong centralizing tendencies.
• Residuary Powers in India:
  • Residuary powers are those powers that are not explicitly mentioned in any of the three lists of the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
  • These powers are exclusively vested in the Parliament under Article 248.
• Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution:
  • The Seventh Schedule contains three lists: the Union List, the State List, and the Concurrent List.
  • The Union List comprises subjects on which only the central government can legislate, while the State List is for state legislatures.
  • The Concurrent List allows both the Union and State governments to legislate on shared matters.
• Canadian Influence on Indian Federalism:
  • The Canadian Constitution inspired India’s approach to residuary powers to ensure a strong central authority.
  • Like Canada, India also employs a system where certain powers are centralized to maintain national integrity and uniformity.

The correct answer is Parliamentary and Federal.

Key Points

• India is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a parliamentary system of government.
• The systems of Government adopted by India are Parliamentary and Federal forms.
• Parliamentary system is a democratic form of government in which the party with the greatest representation in the parliament forms the government, its leader becoming Prime Minister.
• Federalism is the system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of governments.
• A federal system of government divides the power of the government between the national and state and local levels.

 Thus, we can say that the Parliamentary and the Federal systems of government was adopted by India.

Secularism:

• Secularism in the Indian context means first, ‘Dharmanirapaksata’ or impartiality to religion and secondly, ‘Sarva Dharma Sama Bhava’ or equal respect for all religions based on the principle of accommodation of all religions.

• A Secular State does not identify itself with any particular religion but protects and respects all faiths until they become a danger to the unity and integrity of the country.
• The most essential factor of secularism was granting equal status to all religions in India.

• Indian secularism is a multi-value character and gives importance to moral reasoning and equally respecting all religions.

Indian Federal System

• A federal system is different from a unitary system in that sovereignty is constitutionally split between two territorial levels, so that each level can act independently of each other in some areas.
• India is a federal system but with more tilt towards a unitary system of government. So, every state government does not have powers of its own. 
• It is sometimes considered a quasi-federal system as it has features of both a federal and a unitary system.

Important Points

• In Keshavananda Bharti v/s. State of Kerala dispute (1973), a 13 member Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court laid down the principle of the basic structure of the Constitution. 
• The doctrine of the basic structure of the constitution is given by the supreme court in the Keshvanand Bharti case(1973).
• According to this doctrine, Parliament with its amending power can't amend the basic features of the Constitution.
• The present position is that the Parliament under Article 368 can amend any part of the Constitution including the Fundamental Rights but without affecting the ‘basic structure’ of the Constitution.

From the various judgments, the following have emerged as ‘basic features of the Constitution or elements/components/ingredients of the ‘basic structure’ of the constitution:

• The supremacy of the Constitution.
• Separation of powers between the legislature, the executive and the judiciary.
• Republic and democratic form of government.
• Secular character of the Constitution.
• Federal character of the Constitution.
• Sovereignty and unity of India.
• Freedom and dignity of the individual.
• Parliamentary System.
• The mandate to build a welfare state.
• India as a sovereign democratic republic.
• Equality of status and opportunity of an individual.
• Secularism and freedom of conscience and religion.
• Government of laws and not of men (i.e., Rule of Law)
• Judicial review.
• Free and fair elections which is implied in democracy.
• Limited power of Parliament to amend the constitution.
•  Harmony and balance between fundamental rights and directive principles.
• Effective access to justice.
• Welfare State (Socioeconomic justice).
• Powers of the Supreme Court under Articles 32, 136, 141 and 142
• Principle of equality
• Independence of judiciary.
• Powers of the High Court under Articles 226 and 227.
• Limited power of Parliament to amend the Constitution.

The correct answer is Parliamentary.

Key Points

• Parliamentary system
  • The Constitution of India is a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic with a parliamentary system of government.
  • India has a parliamentary system of government with federal and unitary components.
  • It is a sovereign socialist, secular, and democratic republic.
  • The Prime Minister serves as the head of the Council of Ministers, which provides advice to the President, who is the nation's constitutional leader.
  • The Indian Constitution, which was approved by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and took effect on January 26, 1950, governs the Country.

Additional Information

• ​The head of state in a parliamentary system is often a different person from the head of government. In contrast, in a presidential system, the executive branch does not receive its democratic legitimacy from the legislative and the head of state frequently doubles as the head of government.
• A parliamentary system, sometimes known as a parliamentarian democracy, is a form of democratic government in which the executive branch obtains the backing of the legislative, usually a parliament, to whom it is answerable.

The correct answer is Irish.

Key Points

• The 'Method of Election of the President' in the Indian Constitution has been borrowed from the Constitution of Ireland.
• Article 55 outlines the manner in which the President is to be elected, the composition of the electoral college, and the value of votes of the members of the electoral college.
• The method of electing the President in India is an indirect election, where the President is not elected directly by the citizens but by an electoral college comprising elected members of both houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the states.

​Additional Information Some other important features borrowed from Indian Constitution and their sources:

The correct answer is French.

Key Points

• The ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity enshrined in the Constitution of India are borrowed from the constitution of France.
• Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity are the mottos of the French Republic and were some of the most important ideas of the enlightenment.
• Liberty: The idea of Liberty refers to the freedom of the activities of Indian nationals.
• Equality: This envisages that no section of the society enjoys special privileges and that individuals are provided with adequate opportunities without any discrimination.
• Fraternity: This refers to a feeling of brotherhood and a sense of belonging with the country among its people.

Additional Information Borrowed features of Indian Constitution:

The correct answer is 26 November.

Key Points

Constitution Day - 

• Constitution day is also called " Samvidhan Diwas" or " National Law Day".
• The Government of India declared 26 November as Constitution Day on 19 November 2015 by a gazette notification.
• This day signifies the adoption of the Indian constitution in 1950.
• On this day constitution-related activities take place in schools, demand for equality, and the special parliamentary session takes place.
• The constitution was adopted on 26 November 1949 and it came into effect on 26 January 1950.​

 ​Important Points

• The day also marks the thoughts and ideas of Dr. B.R Ambedkar.
• He is also known as " Father of Indian Constitution".
• He was an economist, jurist, and social reformer and has a great contribution to Indian society.

The correct answer is 26th November 1949.

Key Points

• Indian Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 26 November 1949 and became effective on 26 January 1950.
• There were 395 articles originally in the Constitution of India.
• Presently 448 articles are there in Constitution.
• The original constitution was handwritten in Hindi and English with calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizada.

Important Points

• Prem Behari Narain Raizada wrote the Indian constitution by hand.
• Dr. BR Ambedkar is known as the father of the Indian Constitution.

The correct answer is Manipur.

Key Points

• Manipur was the first part of India to hold an election based on a universal adult franchise.

Additional Information

• The first general election was held in 1951-52 for over four months. It is from 25 October 1951 to 21 February 1952.
• The elections were based on universal adult franchise i.e twenty-one years of age or older having the right to vote.
• There were over 173 million voters, most of them poor, illiterate, and rural, and have had no experience of elections.
• The first general elections were marked by an active election campaign by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The parties contested 489 seats. INC won the elections with 364 seats, as the people voted for the party which was led by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• The first Election Commissioner of India was Sukumar Sen.
• Some Prominent winners were Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sucheta Kripalani, Gulzari Lal Nanda, Kakasaheb Kalelkar, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, etc.

The correct answer is 22.

Key Points

• The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India consists of the following 22 languages:
  • Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.

Important Points

• Scheduled languages are the languages other than the official languages of a country that have been assigned a place in the constitution of the country.
• There are 12 schedules in our constitution.

The correct answer is Article 360.

Key Points

• Article 360 of the Constitution of India empowers the president to proclaim a financial emergency on the following ground:
  • If the president is satisfied that a situation has arisen due to which the financial stability or credibility of India is threatened or in danger.
• The 38th Constitutional Amendment Act 1975 made the satisfaction of the president in declaring a financial emergency final and conclusive.
• The satisfaction of the president is held up in any court on any ground.
• However 44th Constitutional Amendment Act 1978 deleted this provision.
• This means the satisfaction of the president is under Judicial review.
• The President may issue directions for the reduction of salaries and allowances to the judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts and of all or any class of persons serving the Union.
• Till now, the Financial Emergency has never been invoked in India.

Additional Information

•  Article 356: Article 356 of the Constitution confers a power upon the President to be exercised only where he is satisfied that a situation has arisen where the government of a State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. Article 356 upon the President is a conditioned power.
• Article 352: The President can declare such an emergency only on the basis of a written request by the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister. During a national emergency, many Fundamental Rights of Indian citizens can be suspended.

The Indian Constitution contains 448 Articles.

Note: This question was asked in TNTET 2013 Paper 2 (Social Studies) (Tamil/Telugu/Malayalam/Kannada/urdu) Official Paper. Data is given according to that year. Hence we can not change the options. Although at present, Indian constitution contain 465+ articles.
 

Important Points

• Indian Constitution was framed and came into existence from 26th January 1950.
• A committee was formed on 9th December 1946 to draft the Constitution of India.
• Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, N. Gopalasamy, K.M. Munshi, Syed Mohammad sadullah, N. Madhava Rao, T.T. Krishnamachari, Alladi Krishnaswamy were the legal experts of the Drafting Committee.
• The Chairman of the Drafting Committee Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was considered the Chief architect.
• It took a period of 2 years, 11 months, and 18 days to draft the Constitution and it was completed on 26th November 1949.
• When the Constitution was drafted, there were 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules.

• The original copies of the Constitution of India (Hindi, English) are preserved in special Helium filled cases in the Library of the Parliament of India.

The correct answer is Parliamentary.

Key Points

• Parliamentary system
  • The Constitution of India is a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic with a parliamentary system of government.
  • India has a parliamentary system of government with federal and unitary components.
  • It is a sovereign socialist, secular, and democratic republic.
  • The Prime Minister serves as the head of the Council of Ministers, which provides advice to the President, who is the nation's constitutional leader.
  • The Indian Constitution, which was approved by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949, and took effect on January 26, 1950, governs the Country.

Additional Information

• ​The head of state in a parliamentary system is often a different person from the head of government. In contrast, in a presidential system, the executive branch does not receive its democratic legitimacy from the legislative and the head of state frequently doubles as the head of government.
• A parliamentary system, sometimes known as a parliamentarian democracy, is a form of democratic government in which the executive branch obtains the backing of the legislative, usually a parliament, to whom it is answerable.

The correct answer is Elected head.Key Points

• Elected head:-
  • It conveys the meaning of the word "Republic" in the Indian Constitution.
  • A republic is a form of government in which the head of state is elected by the citizens or their representatives.
  • In India, the President is the head of state and is elected by an electoral college consisting of members of both houses of Parliament and state legislatures.
  • The President holds a largely ceremonial role and acts as a symbol of national unity.

Additional Information

• Nominated head:-
  • It​ refers to a monarch or a person appointed by a monarch.
• Subordinate head:-
  • It​ refers to a position lower in rank than the head.
• Hereditary head:-
  • It​ refers to a monarch or a person who inherits the position of head of state.