Daily Static Quiz Prelims Practice 2027
- The Election Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 324 of the Constitution.
- Originally a single-member body, the Election Commission became a multi-member body in 1989 when two Election Commissioners were appointed for the first time.
- The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only through a process identical to that for removing a Supreme Court judge — by Parliament through an address on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity.
- Election Commissioners enjoy the same security of tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner and cannot be removed except on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Three of the four statements are correct. Article 324 establishes the Election Commission of India and vests in it the superintendence, direction, and control of elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, and the offices of President and Vice President, the ECI was a single-member body from 1950 until October 1989, when two additional Election Commissioners were appointed for the first time, with the multi-member composition becoming permanent in 1993, and the CEC can be removed only through impeachment by Parliament, the same process as a Supreme Court judge, by an address supported by a special majority on grounds of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. Election Commissioners actually do not enjoy the same removal protection as the CEC, since they can be removed by the President on the CEC's recommendation, a significantly lower threshold than parliamentary impeachment, an asymmetry recently addressed by the CEC and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023.
The CAG, under Article 148, performs post-expenditure audit, examining the accounts of the Union and States after money has been spent and submitting Audit Reports to the President for the Union or the Governor for States, which are then placed before the respective legislatures, making the CAG India's supreme audit institution. Option (a) is wrong since the CAG does not control expenditure before it is incurred, that being the function of Financial Advisers and the Ministry of Finance, option (c) is incorrect since the CAG is not a member of the Public Accounts Committee, which consists of Members of Parliament, though the CAG assists the PAC without chairing or sitting as a member, and option (d) is wrong since the CAG has no power to disallow or recover expenditure directly, only to report irregularities, with action on CAG findings taken by the executive and legislature through the PAC process.
Statement 2: The recommendations of the Finance Commission are binding on the Union Government and must be implemented in full without modification.
Statement 1 is correct. The Finance Commission is established under Article 280, constituted by the President every five years or earlier if necessary, and it recommends the division of net proceeds of shareable taxes between Centre and States, and the principles governing grants-in-aid to States, being described as quasi-judicial because of its adjudicatory function in resolving Centre-State fiscal claims. Statement 2 is incorrect, since the Finance Commission's recommendations are actually advisory rather than binding, with the Union Government not constitutionally obligated to accept them in full, though in practice they are largely accepted, a critical legal distinction where the Finance Commission recommends and the Government decides.
- List I: A. Election Commission of India B. Comptroller and Auditor General C. Finance Commission D. Union Public Service Commission
- List II: 1. Article 315 2. Article 280 3. Article 148 4. Article 324
The Election Commission of India is established under Article 324, governing superintendence, direction, and control of elections, the Comptroller and Auditor General under Article 148, governing appointment, oath, and conditions of service, the Finance Commission under Article 280, governing its constitution and functions, and the Union Public Service Commission under Article 315, governing establishment of Public Service Commissions for the Union and States. These four Article numbers are among the most tested in UPSC Prelims, and precision here separates serious aspirants.
Reason (R): The CAG ensures financial accountability of the executive to the legislature — without independent audit, parliamentary control over public finances would be meaningless, as the legislature would have no reliable basis to evaluate whether money was spent as authorised.
Both A and R are correct, and R directly explains A. Dr B.R. Ambedkar did describe the CAG as potentially the most important constitutional functionary, recognising that financial accountability is the bedrock of democratic governance, since without reliable audit, all other constitutional mechanisms of accountability lose their factual foundation. The CAG's function as independent auditor is what gives Parliament's financial oversight its teeth, since when the CAG submits audit reports, the Public Accounts Committee uses them to question executive spending decisions, and without this independent audit, Parliament would be forced to rely entirely on the executive's own accounts, making legislative oversight hollow, which is precisely why R directly and causally explains why Ambedkar accorded the CAG such importance.
