[Mission 2022] QUIZ – 2022: INSIGHTS STATIC QUIZ, 17 January 2022 – Polity

Solution: b)

The Constitution authorised the Parliament to establish a ‘Contingency Fund of India’, into which amounts determined by law are paid from time to time.

• Accordingly, the Parliament enacted the contingency fund of India Act in 1950.
• This fund is placed at the disposal of the president, and he can make advances out of it to meet unforeseen expenditure pending its authorisation by the Parliament. Parliamentary approval for such unforeseen expenditure is obtained, expost-facto, and an equivalent amount is drawn from the Consolidated Fund to recoup the Contingency Fund after such ex-post-facto approval.
• The fund is held by the finance secretary on behalf of the president.
• Like the public account of India, it is also operated by executive action.

Solution: b)

As provided by the Constitution, the Speaker of the last Lok Sabha vacates his office immediately before the first meeting of the newly elected Lok Sabha. Therefore, the President appoints a member of the Lok Sabha as the Speaker Pro-Tem.  Usually, the senior most member is selected for this.

The Speaker Pro-Tem has all the powers of the Speaker. She presides over the first sitting of the newly elected Lok Sabha.

• Her main duty is to administer oath to the new members. He also enables the House to elect the new Speaker.
• When the new Speaker is elected by the House, the office of the Speaker Pro Tem ceases to exist. Hence, this office is a temporary office, existing for a few days.

Solution: d)

Some of these privileges are:

• It has the right to publish its reports, debates and proceedings and also the right to prohibit others from publishing the same.
• It can exclude strangers from its proceedings and hold secret sittings to discuss some important matters.
• It can make rules to regulate its own procedure and the conduct of its business and to adjudicate upon such matters.
• It can punish members as well as outsiders for breach of its privileges or its contempt by reprimand, admonition or imprisonment (also suspension or expulsion, in case of members).
• It has the right to receive immediate in-formation of the arrest, detention, conviction, imprisonment and release of a member.
• It can institute inquiries and order the attendance of witnesses and send for relevant papers and records.

Solution: c)

Provided that the total number of members in the Legislative Council of a State shall in no case be less than forty, until Parliament by law otherwise provides, the composition of the Legislative Council of a State shall be as provided in clause (3) of Article 171.

Solution: c)

The Tenth Schedule was inserted in the Constitution in 1985 by the 52nd Amendment Act.

It lays down the process by which legislators may be disqualified on grounds of defection by the Presiding Officer of a legislature based on a petition by any other member of the House.

The decision on question as to disqualification on ground of defection is referred to the Chairman or the Speaker of such House, and his/her decision is final and can be challenged in the court.

Advantages of anti-defection law:

• Provides stability to the government by preventing shifts of party allegiance.
• Ensures that candidates remain loyal to the party as well the citizens voting for him.
• Promotes party discipline.

In India, rebelling against a three-line whip can put a lawmaker’s membership of the House at risk.

The anti-defection law allows the Speaker/Chairperson to disqualify such a member; the only exception is when more than a third of legislators vote against a directive, effectively splitting the party.