UPSC CAPF AC 2026 Polity Previous Year Questions

The 102nd Amendment Act (2018) gave constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes. The 103rd Amendment Act (2019) introduced 10% EWS reservation in central government jobs and education. The 104th Amendment Act (2020) abolished the reservation of seats for the Anglo-Indian community in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies. The 106th Amendment Act (2023), the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

PIL in India is a deliberate departure from the strict doctrine of locus standi -- courts relaxed standing rules to allow any public-spirited person to approach them on behalf of those unable to do so themselves, so statement 1 is incorrect. The Supreme Court has entertained even letters and postcards addressed to judges as writ petitions (epistolary jurisdiction), making statement 2 correct. M.C. Mehta vs. Union of India was a landmark PIL that significantly expanded judicial interpretation of Article 21 (right to life, including a clean environment) invoked through Article 32 (right to constitutional remedies), making statement 3 correct.

By convention, the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha and the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha are appointed as Returning Officer for the presidential election by rotation, making statement 1 correct. Since a whip cannot be issued in a presidential election (it is not a matter decided by the party in Parliament), members of the Electoral College are free to vote as they wish, making statement 2 correct. NOTA (None of the Above) is not applicable in the presidential election, as it is an indirect election held through a secret ballot by an Electoral College, not a direct public vote -- so statement 3 is incorrect.

The Ninth Schedule contains a list of central and state laws (mostly related to land reforms and other socio-economic legislation) that are protected from judicial review under Article 31B. The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1969, the General Insurance Business (Nationalization) Act 1972, and the Coal Mines (Taking Over of Management) Act 1973 are all included in the Ninth Schedule. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is a much later, unrelated consumer-rights law and is not part of the Ninth Schedule.

The North Eastern Council was constituted in 1971 under the North Eastern Council Act, 1971. It originally covered seven states — Sikkim was added as the eighth member state in 2002, not Manipur. The Council is now under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), not MHA. Its composition includes Governors and Chief Ministers of the 8 states plus members nominated by the President, not by the Governors.

A.K. Gopalan vs. State of Madras (1950) tested the Preventive Detention Act against Fundamental Rights. K.M. Nanavati vs. State of Bombay dealt with the Governor's power to suspend a sentence under Article 161. Maneka Gandhi vs. Union of India (1978) held that the right to go abroad flows from Article 21, linked here with Article 19(1)(a) reasoning in the question. Shyam Narayan Chouksey vs. Union of India concerned playing the National Anthem before films in theatres.

Statement 1 is incorrect — unlike the US, Indian states did not have independent existence prior to the Union, so no special safeguards for 'State rights' were built in on that basis. Statement 2 is correct — in the US, residuary powers rest with the states, while in India they rest with the Union (Article 248, Union List). Statement 3 is incorrect — the Irish Constitution isn't the source for residuary power vesting; India's model here draws more from the Government of India Act, 1935 (Ireland's influence on India's Constitution is mainly Directive Principles of State Policy).

The Basic Structure doctrine, evolved through Supreme Court judgments (notably Kesavananda Bharati and subsequent cases), recognizes all three as basic features: effective access to justice, rule of law, and limitations on Parliament's amending power under Article 368 (i.e., Parliament cannot amend the basic structure itself).