When the President of India keeps a bill (except money bill and constitutional amendment bill) pending for an indefinite period, it is called ________.
- A.pocket veto of the President
- B.suspensive veto of the President
- C.absolute veto of the President
- D.amendatory veto of the President
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is pocket veto of the President. The Constitution does not fix any time limit within which the President must give or withhold assent to an ordinary bill. By simply keeping such a bill pending, the President can let it lapse without ever formally rejecting it. President Giani Zail Singh used this pocket veto in 1986 on the Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, which critics feared would allow the interception of mail.
The suspensive veto is different: the President returns a bill to Parliament for reconsideration, and if Parliament passes it again, with or without changes, the President must assent. The absolute veto means formally withholding assent so that the bill dies. An "amendatory veto" is not part of the Indian system at all. The question excludes money bills and constitutional amendment bills for good reason: a money bill comes with the President's prior recommendation, and since the 24th Amendment (1971) the President must assent to a constitutional amendment bill.
Read the full article: President and Vice-President of India: Notes, Articles and PYQs
Practice Questions
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- A.Article 75
- B.Article 53
- C.Article 74
- D.Article 52
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- A.Elected Member of Rajya Sabha
- B.Elected Member of Lok Sabha
- C.Elected Member of State Assembly
- D.Nominated Member of Parliament
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- A.35 years
- B.34 years
- C.25 years
- D.30 years
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- A.The Prime Minister
- B.The Chief Justice
- C.Lok Sabha Speaker
- D.Rajya Sabha Chairman
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- A.Prime Minister
- B.Vice President
- C.Chief Election Commissioner
- D.Speaker of the Lok Sabha
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