What was the exact constitutional status of India on 26th January, 1950?
- A.A Democratic Republic
- B.A Sovereign Democratic Republic
- C.A Sovereign Secular Democratic Republic
- D.A Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, A Sovereign Democratic Republic. When the Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, its Preamble declared India a Sovereign Democratic Republic. The words Socialist and Secular were added only by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1976, passed during the Emergency under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which also changed 'unity of the Nation' to 'unity and integrity of the Nation'. So on the day the Republic was born, those two words were not in the text. Option A is wrong because it leaves out Sovereign, which was in the original Preamble and marks India's full independence from any outside authority. Option C is wrong because Secular was added in 1976, not 1950. Option D is wrong because it describes the Preamble as it reads after the 42nd Amendment, not the status in 1950. The 42nd Amendment is the only amendment so far to change the Preamble, and the Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati (1973) held the Preamble to be part of the Constitution. Exam tip: 1950 Preamble = Sovereign Democratic Republic; 1976 (42nd Amendment) added Socialist, Secular and Integrity.
Practice Questions
View allA special address by the Governor refers to the address delivered by the Governor
- A.when President's Rule is called for
- B.when a national emergency necessitates dissolution of the Legislative Assembly
- C.at the commencement of the first session after general election and at the first session of each year
- D.whenever he/she has concluded that such is necessary
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Article 176 of the Constitution requires the Governor to give this special address on these two occasions. In the address the Governor tells the legislature why it has been summoned and sets out the policies and programme of the state government, whose council of ministers actually prepares the text.
Read the full explanation →Which one of the following Schedules of the Constitution of India has fixed the number of Members of the Rajya Sabha to be elected from each State?
- A.Fifth Schedule
- B.Third Schedule
- C.Sixth Schedule
- D.Fourth Schedule
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The Fourth Schedule allocates seats in the Rajya Sabha to each State and Union Territory, read with Articles 4(1) and 80(2).
Read the full explanation →Which one among the following is not a character of a secular State?
- A.It refuses theocracy.
- B.It separates religion from the State.
- C.A State in order to be secular must be democratic.
- D.It must prevent religious conflict and promote religious harmony.
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Secularism concerns the relation between the State and religion, and being democratic is not part of its definition. A secular State is not run by a religious order, keeps religious institutions and State institutions apart, and does not favour or persecute any religion.
Read the full explanation →In the context of polity, which one of the following would you accept as the most appropriate definition of liberty?
- A.Protection against the tyranny of political rulers
- B.Absence of restraint
- C.Opportunity to do whatever one likes
- D.Opportunity to develop oneself fully
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In political theory, and in the spirit of the Indian Constitution, liberty means positive freedom: the conditions and opportunities a person needs to develop their personality fully.
Read the full explanation →Constitutional government means
- A.a representative government of a nation with federal structure
- B.a government whose Head enjoys nominal powers
- C.a government whose Head enjoys real powers
- D.a government limited by the terms of the Constitution
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Constitutional government means limited government: those in power can act only within the limits that the constitution lays down. The essence of constitutionalism is that state power is restrained by a higher law, so that rights are protected and authority cannot be used arbitrarily.
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