Question Discussion & Solution

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.

The correct answer is option 2.

Key Points

• Rajya Sabha is authorized to do the following
  • It can authorize the parliament to make a law on a subject enumerated in the state list (Art.249).
  • It can authorize the parliament to create a new India service common to both the Centre and the State (Art.312).

The correct answer is Article 32.

• Article 32 is described as the heart and soul of the constitution by B.R.Ambedkar.
• Article 32 deals with the right to constitutional remedies.

Key Points

• The right to move to the Supreme court is affirmed by this article.
• The appropriate proceedings are required for the realization of this article.
• The rights are mentioned in part 3 of the constitution.
• To issue a direction, orders or writs are the power of the Supreme court.
• The habeas corpus, quo warranto, prohibition, and certiorari are the types of writs that can be issued by the Supreme court of India.
• Suspension of the rights provided by this article could not happen unless the suspension is provided by the constitution itself.
• In violation of fundamental rights, any person can move to court by using this article.

The correct answer is Freedom from attendance as Witness.

Key Points

• Originally the constitution envisaged two types of privileges under Article 105 of the Indian constitution.
• One is freedom of speech in Parliament and the right of publication of its proceedings.
• The concept of parliamentary privilege in the Constitution of India has been taken from the British Constitution.
• The main motive of these privileges is to uphold the supremacy of the office of the Parliament and its members.
• These rights are also given to those individuals who speak and participate in any committee of the Parliament, which includes the Attorney General of India and the Union Ministers.
• The President, even if he is part of Parliament, does not have parliamentary privileges.

Additional Information

• The collective privileges of Members of Parliament are as follows
  • No person (either a member or outsider) can be arrested and no legal process (criminal or civil) can be initiated within the premises of the house without the permission of the presiding officer of the house.
  • No Court has the right to investigate proceedings of the House or any of its committees.
  • Parliament can exclude guests from its proceedings and in some cases of national interest it can also hold a secret meeting on any important matter.
  • Parliament can punish members as well as outsiders for breach of its privileges or its contempt by reprimand, admonition, or imprisonment (also suspension or expulsion in case of members).
• Individual Privileges of Members of Parliament are as follows
  • When the Parliament is in session, a Member of Parliament or a privileged person may refuse to appear in court or to present any evidence in a court.
  • The members of Parliament can’t be arrested during the session of the Parliament and 40 days before the beginning and 40 days after the end of the session. However, this privilege is available in civil cases only not in criminal cases.
  • No member is liable to any proceedings in any given court for anything said or any vote by him/her in the parliament or its committees.

The correct answer is the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

• Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted a conditional exemption to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the deployment of drones for live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket Season in 2021.
• The Drone Rules 2021 are in the final stages of discussion with the Law Ministry and approval is expected by March 2021.
• The conditional exemption will be valid till 31 December or until the full operationalization of the Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1).