Official Question UPSC 2025
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?
Solution & Analysis
Answer: 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.