Which one of the following statements regarding the Directive Principles of State Policy is NOT correct ?
- A.State shall follow the Directive Principles of State Policy both in the matter of administration as well as in the making of laws
- B.The Directive Principles of State Policy embody the object of the State under the republican Constitution
- C.The Directive Principles of State Policy have precedence over the Fundamental Rights in case of conflict between the two
- D.The Directive Principles of State Policy are not enforceable in the Courts
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is C. Directive Principles do not have precedence over Fundamental Rights; in a conflict, the Fundamental Rights generally prevail.
Directive Principles are in Part IV, Articles 36 to 51. Article 37 says they are not enforceable by any court but are fundamental in the governance of the country, and the State must apply them in making laws. In the Champakam Dorairajan case of 1951 the Supreme Court held that Fundamental Rights prevail over the Directives. Later, in the Minerva Mills case of 1980, the Court said that Parts III and IV must be kept in balance; only Article 39(b) and (c) get limited protection against Articles 14 and 19.
A is correct: the State is to follow them in administration and in law-making.
B is correct: they set out the goals of the State, a welfare state, under the Constitution.
D is correct: Article 37 makes them non-justiciable.
Exam tip: DPSP: Part IV, Articles 36–51, non-justiciable under Article 37; borrowed from the Irish Constitution.
Practice Questions
View allWith reference to the election of the President of India, consider the following statements : 1. The value of the vote of each MLA varies from State to State. 2. The value of the vote of MPs of the Lok Sabha is more than the value of the vote of MPs of the Rajya Sabha. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
- A.1 only
- B.2 only
- C.Both 1 and 2
- D.Neither 1 nor 2
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An MLA's vote value depends on the State's population, but every elected MP, in either House, has the same vote value.
Read the full explanation →Regarding Money Bill, which of the following statements is not correct ?
- A.A bill shall be deemed to be a Money Bill if it contains only provisions relating to imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax.
- B.A Money Bill has provisions for the custody of the Consolidated Fund of India or the Contingency Fund of India.
- C.A Money Bill is concerned with the appropriation of moneys out of the Contingency Fund of India.
- D.A Money Bill deals with the regulation of borrowing of money or giving of any guarantee by the Government of India.
Show answer
A Money Bill covers appropriation of money out of the Consolidated Fund of India, not out of the Contingency Fund, so statement C is the incorrect one.
Read the full explanation →With reference to 'Scheduled Areas' in India, consider the following statements : 1. Within a State, the notification of an area as Scheduled Area takes place through an Order of the President. 2. The largest administrative unit forming the Scheduled Area is the District and the lowest is the cluster of villages in the Block. 3. The Chief Ministers of the concerned States are required to submit annual reports to the Union Home Ministry on the administration of Scheduled Areas in the States. How many of the above statements are correct?
- A.Only one
- B.Only two
- C.All three
- D.None
Show answer
Statements 1 and 2 are correct; statement 3 is wrong because the annual report comes from the Governor and goes to the President.
Read the full explanation →Consider the following features :
1. Consent of the governed
2. Political equality
3. Accountability of the ruled to the ruler
Which of the above feature/features outline democratic rule ?
- A.1 and 2 only
- B.2 and 3 only
- C.1, 2 and 3
- D.3 only
Show answer
Democracy rests on the consent of the people and their equal political rights, while accountability runs from the rulers to the ruled, not the other way round.
Read the full explanation →Which of the following statements about Section 8 of the RTI Act, 2005 is correct?
- A.It lists the categories of information exempt from disclosure
- B.It provides for the appointment of Public Information Officers
- C.It prescribes the penalty for delay in furnishing information
- D.It establishes the State Information Commissions
Show answer
Section 8(1) lists ten categories of information that a public authority is not obliged to disclose, among them information affecting the sovereignty and integrity of India, strategic and security interests, foreign relations, commercial confidence and trade secrets, information held in a fiduciary relationship, and personal information with no relation to…
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