Question Discussion & Solution

The correct answer is Neither 1 nor 2.

Key Points

• Role of the commission:
  • From the above, it is clear that the functions of the commission are mainly recommendatory in nature.
  • It has no power to punish the violators of human rights, nor to award any relief including monetary relief to the victim. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.
  • Notably, its recommendations are not binding on the concerned government or authority. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
  • But, it should be informed about the action taken on its recommendations within one month.
  • In this context, a former member of the Commission observed: 
    • The government cannot wash away the recommendations made by the Commission.
    • The commission’s role may be recommendatory, advisory, yet the Government considers the cases forwarded by it.
    • It is, therefore, improper to say that the commission is powerless.
    • It enjoys great material authority and no government can ignore its recommendation’.
    • Moreover, the commission has a limited role, powers and jurisdiction with respect to the violation of human rights by the members of the armed forces.
    • In this sphere, the commission may seek a report from the Central government and make its recommendations.
    • The Central government should inform the Commission of the action taken on the recommendations within three months.
    • The commission submits its annual or special reports to the Central government and to the state government concerned.
    • These reports are laid before the respective legislatures, along with a memorandum of action taken on the recommendations of the commission and the reasons for non-acceptance of any of such recommendations.

The correct answer is (A) - (3), (B) - (4), (C) - (1), (D) - (2)

Key Points

• The Constitution (61st Amendment Act), 1989, reduced the voting age for Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly elections from 21 years to 18 years under Article 326.  
• Article 354 concerns the elections to the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies.
• The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 was enacted from 25 June 1975 – 21 March 1977.
• 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act made two changes in the Preamble that is changed the characterization of India to "sovereign, socialist secular democratic republic" from "sovereign democratic republic.  
• It also changes the words ‘unity of the nation'  to ‘unity and integrity of the nation'.
• 38th Amendment Constitutional Amendment Act, officially known as The Constitution Act, 1975, made the declaration of The Emergency final and conclusive.
• The Constitution (44th Amendment Act), 1978 replaced the term ‘internal disturbance’ with the term ‘armed rebellion’ concerning the national emergency.
• 44th Amendment Act has made the President declare a national emergency only on the cabinet‘s written recommendation.
• 44th Amendment Act also guaranteed the fundamental rights during a national emergency by Articles 20 and 21 can not be suspended. 

Additional Information

• Under The Constitution (36th Amendment) Act, 1975, Sikkim became the 22nd state of the India Union.
• It also includes the omission of the 10th schedule.

The correct answer is option 4.

Key Points

• The parliamentary system of government
  • The parliamentary system is based on the principle of cooperation and coordination between the legislative and executive organs while the presidential system is based on the doctrine of separation of powers between the two organs.
• The features of parliamentary government in India are:
  • Presence of nominal and real executives
  • Majority party rule
  • Collective responsibility of the executive to the legislature. i.e., the Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha. So, option 4 is the correct answer.
  • Membership of the ministers in the legislature.

The correct answer is One Chairman and two members​.

• Rajasthan State Human Rights Commission is comprised of One Chairman and two members.

Key Points

• Human Rights (Amendment) Act, 2006 consists of three members including a chairperson. The chairperson should be a retired Chief Justice of a High Court.
• The other members should be:
  • A serving or retired judge of a High Court or a District Judge in the state with a minimum of seven years experience as a District judge.
  • A person having practical experience or knowledge related to human rights.
• The State Government of Rajasthan issued a Notification on January 18, 1999, for the constitution of the State Commission in accordance with the provisions of The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

• The Human Rights Commission became functional in March 2000 with the appointment of Justice Kanta Kumari Bhatnagar, as the first Chairperson with Shri R. K. Akodia, Shri B. L. Joshi, and Prof. Alamshah Khan as the members of the commission.

Untouchability refers to discrimination on the basis of caste.

• It is the practice of excluding a group of people regarded as 'untouchables', resulting in the segregation and persecutions from the people regarded as "higher" caste.
• The term is most commonly associated with the treatment of the Dalit communities in the Indian subcontinent. 
• Article 17 of the Indian Constitution abolishes untouchability and forbids its practise in any form.
• In 1976 the Untouchability Act 1955 was amended and renamed the Protection of Civil Rights act 1955.
• The term untouchability has not been defined in the constitution or in any act.