SSC
The recommendation that the appointment of Governors should be non-partisan was made by the:
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Answer: Option D — Sarkaria Commission
Detailed Solution
The Sarkaria Commission was set up by the Central Government in June 1983, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, to examine the relationship and balance of power between the Union and the states. It was chaired by Justice R.S. Sarkaria, a retired judge of the Supreme Court. Its other members were B. Sivaraman and S.R. Sen. It submitted its report in 1988, with 247 recommendations.
The Commission did not favour major changes to the structure of the Constitution, but suggested ways to make Centre-state relations work better. Its recommendations on the office of Governor included:
The Governor should be an eminent person from outside the state, and should not belong to the ruling party at the Centre, or at least not be active in politics in the recent past. In other words, the appointment should be non-partisan.
The Chief Minister of the state should be consulted before appointing the Governor.
The Governor should not be removed before the end of the five-year term, except for compelling reasons.
Its other recommendations included:
Article 356 (President's Rule) should be used very sparingly, only as a last resort.
A permanent Inter-State Council should be set up under Article 263. This was done in 1990.
The All India Services should be strengthened, and more such services created.
Zonal Councils should be revived.
The Supreme Court relied on the Sarkaria Commission's views in the S.R. Bommai case (1994), which limited the misuse of Article 356.
A second commission on Centre-state relations, headed by Justice M.M. Punchhi, was set up in 2007.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Mandal Commission dealt with reservation for backward classes.
- ✗The Shah Commission (1977) enquired into excesses during the Emergency.
- ✗The Kothari Commission (1964-66) dealt with education.
Quick tip
Remember: Sarkaria Commission (1983-88) = Centre-state relations, non-partisan Governors, sparing use of Article 356 and the Inter-State Council (set up 1990). Punchhi Commission = 2007.
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Committees & Commissions — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Committees & Commissions, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers the important committees and commissions set up in India, both before and after independence, on subjects such as administration, elections, Centre-state relations, local government, education, banking and the economy, along with their chairpersons and key recommendations. Questions usually name a committee and ask what it dealt with, or name a subject and ask which committee examined it. Examples include the Dhar and JVP committees on the linguistic reorganisation of states, the Sarkaria Commission on Centre-state relations, and the Narasimham Committee on banking reforms. A table of committee, chairperson and subject is the best way to revise. Practise the committees and commissions questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.