SSC
The Election Commission of India became a multi-member body for the first time in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — 1989
Detailed Solution
The Election Commission of India functioned as a single-member body, with only the Chief Election Commissioner, from 1950 until October 1989, when two Election Commissioners were appointed for the first time.
Background:
- Article 324 provides for an Election Commission consisting of the Chief Election Commissioner and such number of other Election Commissioners as may be fixed from time to time.
- For almost four decades, no other Commissioners were appointed.
1989 appointment:
- In October 1989, just before the general elections, the government appointed two Election Commissioners.
- This was partly justified by the increased workload after the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 years.
Short-lived arrangement:
In January 1990, the posts of the two Election Commissioners were abolished, and the Commission again became a single-member body.
Return to a multi-member Commission:
Later, the Commission was again made a multi-member body, with two Election Commissioners, and this structure has continued since then.
The Supreme Court upheld the multi-member structure in the T.N. Seshan case (1995).
Decision-making in the Commission:
- All members have equal powers in decision-making.
- Differences are settled by a majority.
- The Chief Election Commissioner is the chairman of the Commission.
Removal:
- The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only in the manner of a Supreme Court judge.
- The other Election Commissioners can be removed on the recommendation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Powers of the Commission:
- It superintends, directs and controls the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of elections to Parliament, state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President.
- It enforces the Model Code of Conduct.
- It recognises political parties and allots symbols.
T.N. Seshan's role:
As Chief Election Commissioner in the early 1990s, T.N. Seshan was known for strictly enforcing election laws and the Model Code of Conduct.
Why not the other options?
- ✗1950 is when the Commission was set up as a single-member body.
- ✗1977 does not match.
- ✗1993 is when the Commission became multi-member again, not for the first time.
Quick tip
Remember: Election Commission became multi-member first in October 1989; it became permanently multi-member later.
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Constitutional & Statutory Bodies — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Constitutional & Statutory Bodies, 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 bodies set up under the Constitution, such as the Election Commission, UPSC, Finance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General and the national commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and statutory or executive bodies such as NITI Aayog, the NHRC, the CVC, the CBI and Lokpal. Questions often ask whether a body is constitutional or not, which article creates it, who appoints its head and for how long. For example, the CAG is appointed under Article 148, the Finance Commission under Article 280, and NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015 by an executive resolution. Practise the constitutional and statutory bodies 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.