Question map
Which one of the following suggested that the Governor should be an eminent person from outside the State and should be a detached figure without intense political links or should not have taken part in politics in the recent past?
Explanation
The correct answer is option C - Sarkaria Commission (1983).
The Sarkaria Commission recommended that a person to be appointed as Governor should be eminent in some walk of life, should be a person from outside the state, should be a detached figure and not too intimately connected with the local politics of the state, and should be a person who has not taken too great a part in politics generally, particularly in the recent past.[1] The Commission further recommended that it is desirable that a politician from the ruling party at the Centre is not appointed as Governor of a State which is being run by some other party or a combination of other parties.[1]
While the First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966) did recommend appointment of persons having long experience in public life and administration and non-partisan attitude as governors[2], it did not specifically emphasize all the criteria mentioned in the question. The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) advocated for political neutrality[3], but it actually reiterated the recommendations of the Sarkaria Commission regarding appointment of Governors[4], making the Sarkaria Commission the original source of these comprehensive guidelines.
Sources- [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 30: Governor > Qualifications > p. 314
- [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 15: Centre-State Relations > Administrative Reforms Commission > p. 158
- [3] https://www.thehindu.com/education/should-governors-be-chancellors-of-state-universities/article69143174.ece
- [4] https://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/69440965-Supreme-Court-judgement-in-Tamil-Nadu-Governor-case
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a classic 'Sitter' found verbatim in standard texts like Laxmikanth (Chapters on Governor or Centre-State Relations). It tests your ability to distinguish the 'moderate/constructive' recommendations of Sarkaria from the 'radical' demands of Rajamannar or the 'legalistic' reforms of Punchhi.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Did the First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966) recommend that the Governor of an Indian state should be an eminent person from outside the State and a detached figure without intense political links or recent political participation?
- Statement 2: Did the Rajamannar Committee (1969) recommend that the Governor of an Indian state should be an eminent person from outside the State and a detached figure without intense political links or recent political participation?
- Statement 3: Did the Sarkaria Commission (1983) recommend that the Governor of an Indian state should be an eminent person from outside the State and a detached figure without intense political links or recent political participation?
- Statement 4: Did the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution (2000) recommend that the Governor of an Indian state should be an eminent person from outside the State and a detached figure without intense political links or recent political participation?
- Explicitly records that the First Administrative Reforms Commission (1966) recommended appointment of governors with long experience in public life and a nonāpartisan attitude.
- Directly ties ARC (1966) recommendations to the criteria for choosing governors (experience and nonāpartisanship).
- Enumerates the desirable qualifications for a Governor: eminent in some walk of life and a person from outside the State.
- Specifies that the Governor should be a detached figure, not too intimately connected with state politics, and should not have taken too great a part in recent politics.
- States it is desirable to have governors from outside who are detached and acceptable to the province.
- Reinforces the notion of detachment and being 'eminent' in some field as desirable attributes for governors.
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