UPSC Static Quiz – Polity : 18 March 2025

Solution: d)

In the British parliamentary tradition, the Leader of the Opposition is called the Prime Minister-in-waiting as he is the one who the king turns to when the incumbent government falls, to form an alternative government. He, therefore, forms a shadow cabinet of his colleagues in his party. It is an interesting feature of the Westminster system of government.

The shadow cabinet is formed under the leadership of the leader of opposition who will be called the shadow prime minister. According to this tradition, the shadow cabinet scrutinises the policies and actions of the government and offers alternative policy. It is called the shadow cabinet because its members mirror the positions of the individual member of the real cabinet. As members of the shadow cabinet, these Opposition members familiarise themselves fully with the operations of the government. They can seek all relevant information about the entire gamut of the activities of the government.

Solution: a)

Under Section 6 of the DSPE Act, the CBI is required to obtain consent from the concerned State government before initiating an investigation within its jurisdiction. This permission is crucial since “police” and “public order” are subjects that fall within the State List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. However, no such prior consent is necessary in Union territories or railway areas.

General consent is typically given by States to facilitate the agency’s seamless investigation into corruption charges against Central government employees in their territories. However, since 2015, several States such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya and West Bengal have revoked their general consent.

The offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, in which the superintendence will be with the Central Vigilance Commission.

Solution: c)

Article 131: Original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court

Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Supreme Court shall, to the exclusion of any other court, have original jurisdiction in any dispute—

(a) Between the Government of India and one or more Slates;

(b)between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more other States on the other; or

(c)between two or more States, if and in so far as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends:

Provided that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to a dispute arising out of any treaty, agreement, covenant, engagement, named or other similar instrument which, having been entered into or executed before the commencement of this Constitution, continues in operation after such commencement, or which provides that the said jurisdiction shall not extend to such a dispute.

Solution: d)

In the absence of a consistent and comprehensive law to deal with asylum seekers, we lack a clear perspective on refugee management. We have a flurry of such laws as the Foreigners Act, 1946, the Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, the Passports Act (1967), the Extradition Act, 1962, the Citizenship Act, 1955 (including its ominous 2019 amendment) and the Foreigners Order, 1948, all of which club all foreign individuals together as “aliens”.

Solution: a)

Statement 3 is incorrect.

Generally speaking, the practice in both the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies has been to elect the Speaker in the first session of the new House — usually on the third day, after the oath-taking and affirmations have taken place over the first two days.

The election of the Deputy Speaker usually takes place in the second session, even though there is no bar on having this election in the first session of the new Lok Sabha or Assembly. But the election of Deputy Speaker is generally not delayed beyond the second session unless there are some genuine and unavoidable constraints.

In the Lok Sabha, the election of Deputy Speaker is governed by Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. According to Rule 8, the election “shall be held on such date as the Speaker may fix”. The Deputy Speaker is elected once a motion proposing his or her name is carried. Once elected, the Deputy Speaker usually continues in office until the dissolution of the House.

Under Article 94 (and Article 179 for state Assemblies), the Speaker or Deputy Speaker “shall vacate his office if he ceases to be a member of the House of the People”. They may also resign (to each other), or “may be removed from office by a resolution of the House of the People passed by a majority of all the then members of the House”.