UPSC Polity Practice Questions
Target: Mission Prelims 2027
Updated:
Analyze the legal framework governing how India acquires foreign territories and the constitutional rules for their administration.
Difficulty
Hard
Skill Tested
Conceptual Clarity
Review the constitutional paradigms dictating the acquisition and subsequent administration of external geopolitical zones by the Indian Republic:
1. The formal integration of any newly acquired foreign landmass strictly necessitates the immediate passage of a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
2. The acquisition process relies predominantly on established modes recognized by international jurisprudence, such as diplomatic treaties or sovereign purchase.
3. The administrative and governance frameworks initially applied to these newly integrated zones mirror the constitutional protocols designed for Union Territories.
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Correct Option: B
India can legally acquire foreign territories without requiring a constitutional amendment. The nation utilizes established international law mechanisms like treaties or purchases. Newly acquired lands are temporarily administered using the constitutional provisions designed for Union Territories.
Solution
Analyze the legal management of territorial expansion:
1. Assertion: The Indian government can swiftly integrate newly acquired foreign lands without suffering legislative paralysis or constitutional gridlock.
2. Reason 1: The act of acquiring territory is an exercise of inherent national sovereignty under international law and bypasses the need for an Article 368 constitutional amendment.
3. Reason 2: The Constitution preemptively solves administrative ambiguity by applying the existing governance rules of Union Territories to any newly acquired land.
Solution
Imagine a scenario where the Indian government purchases a small island in the Indian Ocean from a foreign nation. Opponents of the government claim the purchase is illegal because no constitutional amendment was passed prior to the transaction. Furthermore, they demand to know what laws will govern the islanders. How should the Attorney General respond?
1. The purchase requires an amendment, and the islanders will be governed by martial law.
2. The purchase does not require an amendment, but the islanders will remain in a legal vacuum until a new State is created.
3. The purchase does not require an amendment as it is an act of international sovereignty, and the islanders will be governed under the existing administrative rules for Union Territories.
Solution
Determine the validity of the following legal claims regarding the integration of acquired territories:
1. The expansion of sovereign borders mandates the execution of a formal constitutional amendment.
2. The acquisition mechanics are anchored primarily in recognized international law modalities.
3. The statutory administration of these zones defaults to the protocols governing constituent States.
4. The administrative frameworks utilized are structurally identical to those applied to Union Territories.
Solution
Concept Flow Mapping
Historical Logic Quest
"Why does the acquisition of a foreign territory not mandate a formal constitutional amendment in India?"
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