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Q92 (IAS/2020) Polity & Governance › Parliament › Powers of houses Official Key

Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2. In the Indian parliamentary system, the powers of the Rajya Sabha are categorized into equal, unequal, and special powers compared to the Lok Sabha.

  • Amending the Constitution: Under Article 368, a Constitutional Amendment Bill can be introduced in either House and must be passed by each House separately by a special majority. There is no provision for a joint sitting in case of a deadlock, giving the Rajya Sabha equal veto power.
  • New All India Services (Option 1): This is a special power of the Rajya Sabha under Article 312; the Lok Sabha cannot initiate this process.
  • Removal of Government (Option 3): The Council of Ministers is collectively responsible only to the Lok Sabha. A No-Confidence Motion cannot be introduced in the Rajya Sabha.
  • Cut Motions (Option 4): These are part of the budgetary process. Since the Rajya Sabha has limited powers regarding Money Bills, it cannot vote on demands for grants or move cut motions.
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in [A] the matter of creating new All India Services [B] amending the Constitution [C] the…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a classic 'Laxmikanth Table' question. It rewards clarity on the three buckets of bicameral relations: Equal powers, Unequal powers, and Special powers. If you missed this, your static polity revision is fundamentally flawed.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Under the Indian Constitution, does the Rajya Sabha have equal powers with the Lok Sabha in creating new All India Services?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"It is also the house with the authority to sanction the setting up of new All India Services, crucial for the functioning of the bureaucracy, if the need arises."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states which House has the authority to sanction the setting up of new All India Services.
  • Directly ties the Rajya Sabha to the constitutional role of authorising All-India Services formation.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Thus, a resolution was passed by Rajya Sabha on 6 December 1961 to create the Indian Engineering Service, Indian Medical and Health Service and the Indian Forest Service."
Why this source?
  • Provides a concrete historical example of the Rajya Sabha passing a resolution to create specific All-India Services.
  • Shows the procedural effect: Rajya Sabha resolution enabled Parliament to amend the All-India Services Act and create services.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 74: Public Services > All-India Services > p. 545
Strength: 5/5
“Article 312 of the .Constitution authorises the Parliament of India to create new All-India Services based on a resolution passed by Rajya Sabha to that effect. Thus, a new All-India Service ~an be created only by an ' .. act of Parliament and not by a resolution of Rajya Sabha, However, the Parliament cannot do so without the recommendation of Rajya Sabha. This power is given-to the 'Rajya Sabha to protect the interests of states in the Indian federal system. Interestingly, the Drafting Committee of the Constituent Assembly did not provide a constitutional status to the All-India Services. Accordingly, the Draft Constitution did not make any mention of the All-India Services.”
Why relevant

States Article 312 authorises Parliament to create new All-India Services but says Parliament cannot do so without the recommendation of the Rajya Sabha — indicating a special role for Rajya Sabha.

How to extend

A student could check that 'Parliament' means both Houses and then look up Article 312's text to confirm that only Rajya Sabha's resolution is required, implying asymmetry.

Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 23: Parliament > Special Powers of Ra;ya Sabha > p. 260
Strength: 5/5
“The Rajya Sabha has been given four exclusive or special powers that are not enjoyed by the Lok Sabha: | 1. It can authorise the Parliament to make a law on a subject enumerated in the State List (Article 249). | 2. It can authorize the Parliament to create new All-India Services common to both the Centre and states (Article 312). | 3. It alone can initiate a move for the removal of the Vice-President. In other words, a resolution for the removal can be introduced only in the Rajya Sabha and not in the Lok Sabha (Article 67).”
Why relevant

Lists special powers exclusive to Rajya Sabha, explicitly naming the power to authorise creation of All-India Services (Article 312) as not enjoyed by Lok Sabha.

How to extend

Using this rule, a student can infer that on this subject Rajya Sabha has a unique constitutional competence and compare it with ordinary legislative procedure.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 74: Public Services > III All-India Services > p. 549
Strength: 4/5
“Article 312 makes the following provisions in respect of all-India services: (a) The Parliament can create new all-India services (including an all-India judicial service), if the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution declaring that it is necessary or expedient in the national interest to do so. Such a resolution in the Rajya Sabha should be supported by two-thirds of the members present and voting. This power of recommendation is given to the Rajya Sabha to protect the interests of states in the Indian federal system. Though the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 made the provision for the creation of a11- India judicial service, no such law has been made so far.”
Why relevant

Explains Article 312 requires a Rajya Sabha resolution supported by two-thirds of members present and voting to recommend creation of new All-India services.

How to extend

A student can combine this voting threshold detail with the fact that ordinary bills require passage in both Houses to see that Rajya Sabha has an additional gatekeeping requirement.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 23: Parliament > Special Powers of Ra;ya Sabha > p. 260
Strength: 4/5
“The Rajya Sabha has been given four exclusive or special powers that are not enjoyed by the Lok Sabha: • It can authorise the Parliament to make a law on a subject enumerated in the State List (Article 249). • 2. It can authorize the Parliament to create new All-India Services common to both the Centre and states (Article 312). • 3. It alone can initiate a move for the removal of the Vice-President. In other words, a resolution for the removal can be introduced only in the Rajya Sabha and not in the Lok Sabha (Article 67).• 4.”
Why relevant

Again catalogues the Rajya Sabha's exclusive powers, reinforcing that creation of All-India Services is a special power not shared with Lok Sabha.

How to extend

A student could use this repeated classification of 'exclusive power' as a pattern and then compare other exclusive powers to understand the nature of Rajya Sabha's special role.

Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: LEGISLATURE > Special Powers of Rajya Sabha > p. 110
Strength: 3/5
“Powers exercised only by the Lok Sabha: Then, there are powers that only the Lok Sabha exercises. The Rajya Sabha cannot initiate, reject or amend money bills. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha and not Rajya Sabha. Therefore, Rajya Sabha can criticise the government but cannot remove it. Can you explain why? The Rajya Sabha is elected by the MLAs and not directly by the people. Therefore, the Constitution stopped short of giving certain powers to the Rajya Sabha. In a democratic form as adopted by our Constitution, the people are the final authority. By this logic, the representatives, directly elected by the people, should have the crucial powers of removing a government and controlling the finances.”
Why relevant

Describes limits on Rajya Sabha's powers compared to Lok Sabha (e.g., money bills), providing a constitutional context that some powers are exclusive while others are not.

How to extend

A student could use this contrast to reason that because some powers are explicitly exclusive to Rajya Sabha (per other snippets), equality should not be presumed and each power must be checked individually.

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CDS-I · 2016 · Q72 Relevance score: 4.25

Which of the following statements regarding Rajya Sabha is / are correct ? 1. The maximum permissible strength of Rajya Sabha is 250 2. In Rajya Sabha, 238 members are elected indirectly from the States and Union Territories 3. It shares legislative powers equally with Lok Sabha in matters such as creation of All India Services Select the correct answer using the code given below :

IAS · 2012 · Q55 Relevance score: 4.15

Which of the following special powers have been conferred on the Rajya Sabha by the Constitution of India?

IAS · 2015 · Q91 Relevance score: 1.55

There is a Parliamentary System of Government in India because the

CDS-II · 2017 · Q106 Relevance score: 1.45

Which one of the following statements about the All India Services is correct?

CDS-I · 2006 · Q37 Relevance score: 1.20

Which of the following has the powers to create a new All-India Service ?