Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
- Article 15(4) enables the State to make special provisions for the advancement of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) as well as SCs and STs — this clause was inserted by the First Constitutional Amendment Act, 1951.
- Article 16(4) provides for reservation in appointments in favour of SCs and STs that are not adequately represented in State services, and this is an enabling provision, not a fundamental right itself.
- In the Indra Sawhney case (1992), the Supreme Court held that the total reservations under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) cannot ordinarily exceed 50% of the total seats or posts.
- The 103rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 2019 provided 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by inserting Articles 15(6) and 16(6), excluding persons who are already covered under existing reservation schemes.
All four statements are correct. Article 15(4), inserted by the First Amendment (1951), overcame Champakam Dorairajan's ban on caste-based educational reservations. Article 16(4) is an enabling, discretionary provision, not an enforceable right. Indra Sawhney (1992) established the 50% reservation ceiling except in extraordinary circumstances. The 103rd Amendment (2019) inserted Articles 15(6) and 16(6), providing 10% EWS reservation for those not already covered by SC/ST/OBC reservations.
- The NCST was established by the 89th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003 by bifurcating the earlier National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
- The NCST is a constitutional body under Article 338A and is empowered to investigate and monitor matters relating to the safeguards provided to STs.
- The NCST has the powers of a civil court in matters of summoning and examining witnesses and requiring discovery and production of documents.
- The Union and every State Government is bound to consult the NCST on all major policy decisions affecting Scheduled Tribes.
Statements 1, 2 and 3 are correct. The 89th Amendment (2003) bifurcated the combined NCSC & ST into the separate NCSC (Article 338) and NCST (Article 338A). The NCST investigates and monitors ST safeguards, and under Article 338A(8), holds civil court powers for summoning witnesses and requiring document production. Statement 4 is incorrect — while consultation is mandatory on major policy matters specifically affecting ST welfare, the blanket "all major policy decisions" phrasing overstates this obligation.
Option (c) is correct — Article 30(1) guarantees minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions, but as clarified in T.M.A. Pai Foundation (2002) and P.A. Inamdar (2005), the State may impose reasonable regulatory conditions, including for aid, without unreasonable interference. Option (a) is wrong — grants can carry reasonable conditions on standards, fees, and admissions. Option (b) is wrong — Article 29 protects any section of citizens, majority or minority, not exclusively minorities. Option (d) is wrong — Article 30(1A) permits acquisition provided compensation doesn't restrict or abrogate the Article 30(1) right; outright prohibition isn't the position.
- The Fifth Schedule deals with the administration of Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes in States other than Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
- Under the Fifth Schedule, a Governor may direct that any Act of Parliament or State Legislature shall not apply to a Scheduled Area, or shall apply with modifications.
- The Sixth Schedule applies to tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram and provides for the creation of Autonomous District Councils with legislative and judicial powers.
- Autonomous District Councils under the Sixth Schedule can make laws on subjects such as land management, use of waterways and social customs, subject to assent of the Governor.
All four statements are correct. The Fifth Schedule (Article 244(1)) applies to Scheduled Areas outside the four northeastern States, covering parts of AP, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, MP, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, with the Governor empowered under Para 5 to modify or exclude application of laws. The Sixth Schedule (Article 244(2)) applies to Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram, creating Autonomous District Councils with legislative, executive, judicial, and financial powers, including laws on land, forests, waterways, shifting cultivation, local courts, and social customs, subject to Governor's assent.
Option (b) is correct — PESA (1996) extended Panchayati Raj to Fifth Schedule areas (left out of the 1992 73rd Amendment), mandating State laws conform to tribal customary law, social/religious practices, and traditional resource management. Option (a) is wrong — PESA applies to Fifth, not Sixth, Schedule areas, and creates a customised framework rather than a direct extension without modifications. Option (c) is wrong — PESA's tribal reservation provisions apply only to Fifth Schedule areas, not nationwide (general ST reservations flow from the 73rd Amendment itself). Option (d) is wrong — PESA strengthened Gram Sabhas without abolishing the Governor's Fifth Schedule powers, which remain intact.
