SSC
The appointment of state Governors by the Centre is an example of which feature of the Indian Constitution?
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Answer: Option D — Unitary (non-federal) feature
Detailed Solution
The appointment of Governors by the President, that is, by the Centre, is one of the unitary features of the Indian Constitution. In a purely federal system, the heads of the states would be chosen by the states themselves.
How Governors are appointed:
- Under Article 155, the Governor of a state is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal.
- He holds office during the pleasure of the President.
- In practice, the appointment is made on the advice of the Union Council of Ministers.
Why this is unitary:
- The Governor acts as an agent of the Centre in the state.
- He can reserve state bills for the President's consideration.
- He reports to the President on the situation in the state, which can lead to President's Rule.
- So the Centre has a link and a means of control in each state.
Other unitary features of the Constitution:
- A strong Centre, with more subjects in the Union List and residuary powers with the Centre.
- Single Constitution for the Union and the states (except earlier for Jammu and Kashmir).
- Flexibility of the Constitution: most parts can be amended by Parliament alone.
- Unequal representation of states in the Rajya Sabha.
- Emergency provisions, which convert the federal system into a unitary one.
- Single citizenship.
- Integrated judiciary.
- All-India services, controlled by the Centre.
- Parliament's power to change the boundaries and names of states without their consent.
- Integrated election machinery.
Federal features of the Constitution:
Dual polity, written Constitution, division of powers, supremacy of the Constitution, rigid amendment procedure for federal provisions, independent judiciary and a bicameral Parliament.
Debate about the Governor's role:
The Sarkaria and Punchhi Commissions recommended consulting the Chief Minister before appointing a Governor and choosing eminent persons from outside the state.
Federalism as a basic feature:
In the S.R. Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Court declared federalism to be a basic feature of the Constitution.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Appointment by the Centre is not a federal feature.
- ✗India does not have a presidential system.
- ✗It is not a judicial feature.
Quick tip
Remember: Governor appointed by the Centre = unitary feature; India is "federal with a unitary bias".
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Preamble & Salient Features — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Preamble & Salient Features, 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 Preamble of the Indian Constitution, the meaning of its key words (sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, justice, liberty, equality and fraternity), and the salient features of the Constitution, such as its federal structure with a unitary bias and the parliamentary form of government. Remember that the words 'socialist', 'secular' and 'integrity' were added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976, the only time the Preamble has been amended. Questions also test landmark cases on the Preamble: the Supreme Court held in the Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) that the Preamble is part of the Constitution. Practise the Preamble and salient features 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.