Question map
Consider the following statements about the President of India: 1. The President has the right to address and send message to the Council of Ministers to elicit specific information 2. The President can call for information relating to proposals for legislation 3. All decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to administration of the Union must be communicated to the President Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Explanation
Under Article 78 of the Indian Constitution, the Prime Minister is constitutionally obligated to communicate all decisions of the Council of Ministers relating to the administration of the Union to the President [4]. Furthermore, the President has the specific power to call for information relating to proposals for legislation [3]. While Article 86 grants the President the right to address and send messages to either House of Parliament, there is no constitutional provision that grants the President the right to address or send messages directly to the Council of Ministers to elicit information; rather, the Prime Minister acts as the sole channel of communication for such matters [3]. Therefore, statements 2 and 3 are correct, while statement 1 is incorrect as it misidentifies the constitutional mechanism for information retrieval.
Sources
- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 21: Central Council of Ministers > KITCHEN CABINET > p. 219
- [2] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 21: Central Council of Ministers > KITCHEN CABINET > p. 219
- [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_74_of_the_Constitution_of_India
- [3] Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 11: The Union Executive > c) The Right to Address and to Send Messages. > p. 214