Indian Constitution Quiz 4

The Constituent Assembly was constituted in November 1946 under Cabinet Mission Plan. The total strength of the Constituent Assembly was 389. It was comprised of several Committees to deal with different tasks. Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru was the Chairman of the Union Powers Committee of the Constituent Assembly of India. The Constituent Assembly set up a Drafting Committee under the Chairmanship of Dr. BR Ambedkar to prepare a Draft Constitution for India.

The maximum strength of a State Legislative Assembly must not exceed 500 or its minimum strength fall below 60. However, the size of the Vidhan Sabha can be less than 60 members through an Act of Parliament, such is the case in the states of Goa (40), Sikkim (32) and Mizoram (40).

Part IV (Article 36-51) of the Indian Constitution deals with Directive Principles of our State Policy (DPSP). The provisions contained in this Part cannot be enforced by any court, but these principles are fundamental in the governance of the country and it shall be the duty of the State to apply these principles in making laws.

Rajya Sabha is a permanent body and is not subject to dissolution. However, one-third of the members retire every second year, and are replaced by newly elected members. Each member is elected for a term of six years. The Vice President of India is the ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha.

The idea of the legislature as the custodian of national purse was for the first time mooted by the Government of India Act, 1909. It is considered as the custodian as it is the primary and most often the exclusive arbiter of federal fiscal affairs.

Only once was the term of the Lok Sabha extended up to 6 years. This can happen in case of a National Emergency. The term of the fifth Lok Sabha was supposed to end on 18 March 1976 but was extended by one year up to 18 March 1977 by the House of the People (Extension of Duration) Act, 1976.

Article 32 falls under Part III of the Constitution that includes the fundamental rights of individuals. It is the Right to Constitutional remedies which is considered as 'the heart and soul of the Constitution'. During the Constituent Assembly debate, Dr. B.R Ambedkar had said that Article 32 is the heart and soul of the Constitution.

Articles 14, 15 and 16 of the Constitution of India form part of a scheme of the Constitutional Right to Equality. According to Article 14: “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”

The Morarji Desai government eventually scrapped the fundamental right to property with the 44th amendment in 1978. In its place came Article 300-A that makes it possible for a citizen to be dispossessed without compensation through an act of legislation.

Janata Party leader Morarji Desai became the fourth Prime Minister of India and first non-Congress PM from 1977 to 1979. After he resigned in 1979, his former deputy Charan Singh briefly held office until Indira Gandhi was voted back six months later. Charan Singh was the fifth Prime Minister of India, serving from 28 July 1979 until 14 January 1980.