The Ninth Schedule was introduced in the Constitution of India during the prime ministership of
- A.Jawaharlal Nehru
- B.Lal Bahadur Shastri
- C.Indira Gandhi
- D.Morarji Desai
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is A, Jawaharlal Nehru. The Ninth Schedule was added by the First Constitutional Amendment Act of 1951, when Nehru was Prime Minister.
The First Amendment inserted Articles 31A and 31B along with the Ninth Schedule. Its purpose was to protect land reform laws, such as those abolishing zamindari, from being struck down by the courts for violating fundamental rights, especially the right to property. Laws placed in the Ninth Schedule were shielded from challenge on that ground. In the I. R. Coelho case of 2007, however, the Supreme Court held that laws added to the schedule after 24 April 1973, the date of the Kesavananda Bharati judgment, can be reviewed if they damage the basic structure.
B is wrong because Lal Bahadur Shastri became Prime Minister only in 1964. C is wrong because Indira Gandhi took office in 1966, long after 1951. D is wrong because Morarji Desai led the government from 1977 to 1979.
Exam tip: 1st Amendment, 1951, Nehru: Ninth Schedule plus Articles 31A and 31B.
Practice Questions
View allWhich among the following is not correct?
- A.Legislation on criminal law, barring exceptions, is a subject under the Concurrent List.
- B.Bankruptcy and Insolvency are subjects under the Concurrent List.
- C.Inter-State trade and commerce is a subject under the State List.
- D.Banking is exclusively under the Union List.
Show answer
Trade and commerce between States is Entry 42 of the Union List, so it is wrong to place it in the State List.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1. The abolition of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 was recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission
2. The Right to Information Act was enacted in 2005
Select the answer using the code given below :
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
The Second Administrative Reforms Commission asked for the Official Secrets Act to be repealed, and the Right to Information Act was passed in 2005.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following powers has not been conferred on the President of India?
- A.Appointment of Prime Minister
- B.To decide at his/her discretion any question regarding disqualification of a Member of the Parliament
- C.To grant pardon to a person who has been punished by a court-martial
- D.To remove a Judge of the High Court
Show answer
Under Article 103 the President decides a question of disqualification of an MP, but must obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and act according to it, so there is no discretion.
Read the full explanation →Which among the following statements regarding the powers of the High Courts under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is not correct?
- A.It can issue writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, quo warranto, certiorari, and prohibition.
- B.Writs can be issued to enforce any rights conferred by Part-III and for any other purpose.
- C.This power can derogate the power conferred on the Supreme Court under Article 32(2).
- D.Writ can be issued to any authority under its jurisdiction.
Show answer
Article 226(4) says expressly that the High Court's writ power shall not be in derogation of the power conferred on the Supreme Court by Article 32(2).
Read the full explanation →Consider the following quote :
"On the 26th January, 1950, we are going to enter a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality."
To whom among the following leaders is this quote attributed?
- A.Mahatma Gandhi
- B.Sarojini Naidu
- C.B. R. Ambedkar
- D.Somnath Lahiri
Show answer
He spoke these words in his final speech to the Constituent Assembly on 25 November 1949. Dr B. R. Ambedkar, chairman of the Drafting Committee, closed the debates on the draft Constitution with a speech warning about the gap between political and social democracy.
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