Official UPSC Format

Consider the following subjects under the Constitution of India:
I. List I–Union List, in the Seventh Schedule
II. Extent of the executive power of a State
III. Conditions of the Governor’s office
For a constitutional amendment with respect to which of the above, ratification by the Legislatures of not less than one-half of the States is required before presenting the bill to the President of India for assent?

1. I. List I–Union List, in the Seventh Schedule

2. II. Extent of the executive power of a State

3. III. Conditions of the Governor’s office

⚡ Quick Recall Snippet

Constitutional amendments altering the Union List or state executive powers require ratification by half of the state legislatures. Parliament alone holds the authority to change Governor conditions.

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Detailed Solution & Authority Citations

Correct Answer is Option A
According to Article 368 of the Constitution of India, amendments to certain provisions that affect the federal structure require a special majority in Parliament along with ratification by the legislatures of at least one-half of the states.
  • Statement I (Correct): Any modification to the Seventh Schedule (which includes the Union, State, and Concurrent lists) directly alters the distribution of legislative powers between the Centre and States. Thus, it mandates state ratification.
  • Statement II (Correct): Changes concerning the extent of the executive power of the Union (Article 73) and the executive power of a State (Article 162) impact federal balance, explicitly requiring state ratification under Article 368.
  • Statement III (Incorrect): The conditions of the Governor's office are dictated by Parliament. Amending these provisions does not fall under the entrenched federal clauses of Article 368(2) and therefore can be achieved by Parliament without state ratification.

    • 🚨 The Examiner's Trap

    Statement III is the trap. Since the Governor is the executive head of the state, students intuitively assume modifying the office requires state consent. However, the Governor is a Presidential appointee, and the office's conditions (Article 158) are governed solely by Parliament.

    Active Recall Flashcard

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    Does amending the conditions of the Governor's office require state ratification under Article 368?

    No, it can be amended by Parliament alone.

    Concept Flow Mapping

    Article 368
    Governs
    Constitutional Amendments
    Union List Alterations
    Require
    State Ratification
    Governor Conditions
    Altered By
    Parliament Alone

    Logic Quest

    "Why do Seventh Schedule changes require state ratification?"

    Not analyzing core concepts like Amendment of Federal Provisions through the lens of Previous Year Questions is a serious miss-out. This PYQ engine is specifically designed to help you decode the examiner's mindset and master highly probable Indian Polity questions for your upcoming Prelims.