Non-Constitutional Bodies/Statutory bodies MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Non-Constitutional Bodies/Statutory bodies - Download Free PDF

The correct answer is six months.

• Madan Mohan Punchhi, better known as M.M. Punchhi was the 28th Chief Justice of India (CJI). He held the office as the CJI for a short period of ten months (January till October) in the year 1998.
• Mr. Punchhi was appointed as the Chairman of the Centre-State Relations Commission in the year 2007 by the Government of India. This Commission dealt with matters involving the Centre-State relations and was popularly known as the Punchhi Commission.
• The Commission dealt with the responsibilities and jurisdiction of the Centre during major outbreaks of caste and communal violence.
• The report of this three-member Commission headed by M.M. Punchhi was submitted in 2010 to the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

Important Points

• some major and notable recommendations of the MM Puncchi Commission Report:
  • Concurrent List subjects: There should be a mechanism whereby the center consults states before introducing a bill on concurrent list items. This consultation mechanism should be through the inter-state council.
  • On President’s Pocket Veto: Once a bill is passed in the legislative assembly and then reserved by the governor for the president’s consideration, President applies pocket veto in several cases. No communication is given to the state which is baffling for states. Thus, there should be a mechanism so that the president communicates his decision in a reasonable time within 6 months.
  • Treaty-Making Power of Union: There is a need for some kind of legislation to regulate the treaty-making power of union executive concerning treaties which have anything to do with the matters listed in the state list. There should be greater involvement of states in such treaties.
  • Appointment and Removal of Governor.
  • Article 355 and 356 should be amended. Via these amendments, the Centre should be enabled to bring specific troubled areas under its rule for a limited period.

The correct answer is 2) 1 and 3 only.

Key Points

• The current motto of the Lokpal is "Empower Citizens, Expose Corruption," which replaced the earlier motto "Do not be greedy for anyone's wealth."
• The Lokpal is a multi-member body consisting of a Chairperson and up to 8 members, not 10 as mentioned in the question. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• The members of the Lokpal are appointed by the President of India based on the recommendations of a Selection Committee.
• The Selection Committee includes the Prime Minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Chief Justice of India (or a Judge nominated by them), and an eminent jurist selected by the President based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee members.

Additional Information

• Lokpal Act: The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, was enacted to combat corruption in public offices. It empowers the Lokpal to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries, including the Prime Minister (with certain exceptions).
• Composition of Lokpal: The Lokpal consists of a Chairperson and up to 8 members, of which 50% must be judicial members and 50% must belong to SC/ST/OBC, minorities, or women categories.
• Jurisdiction: The Lokpal's jurisdiction includes the Prime Minister (with certain safeguards), Ministers, Members of Parliament, and Group A, B, C, and D officials of the Central Government.
• Exclusions: The Prime Minister is excluded from Lokpal's purview in matters related to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy, and space.
• Functioning: The Lokpal has the authority to prosecute public servants found guilty of corruption and recommend disciplinary action against them. It works with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for preliminary inquiries.

Key Points

• Statement 1: False. Human Rights Courts are indeed established by the state governments, but with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, not the governor. This part of the statement is misleading and should be revised to reflect the Chief Justice's role. However, based on the options, we’ll consider this statement incorrect.

• Statement 2: True. Human Rights Courts are created with statutory backing under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, which gives them a legal foundation to operate within the judicial framework.

• Statement 3: True. As per the guidelines, the state government appoints a public prosecutor for each human rights court, and the individual must have practiced law for at least 7 years to be eligible for the role.

• Statement 4: False. Human Rights Courts are not independent of the NHRC; in fact, they work as part of the broader framework for protecting and enforcing human rights in India, with the NHRC playing a key role in human rights advocacy and enforcement.

The correct answer is Union Public Service Commission.

Key Points

• ​Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body.
• Constitutional bodies are important bodies in India that derive their powers and authorities from the Indian Constitution.
• Article 315 - Article 323 talks about the constitutional provisions of the UPSC.
• Important bodies such as the Finance Commission, the Election Commission, the CAG, National Commissions for SCs and STs, etc. are also constitutional bodies.

Additional Information

The correct answer is option 3.

 Key Points

• The Chief Information Commissioner, or Information Commissioners, as the case may be, shall hold office for a period of three years or 65 years of age from the date on which he enters upon his office.
• The 2005 act was amended in 2019.
• CIC is not eligible for reappointment.
• Under the provision of Section-12 of RTI Act 2005, the Central Government shall, by notification in the Official Gazette, constitute a body to be known as the Central Information Commission.
• The Central Information Commission shall consist of the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and a number of Central Information Commissioners not exceeding 10 as may be deemed necessary.

The correct answer is 1950.

Key Points

• The planning commission was an institution that formulated Five-Year Plans in India.
• The planning commission was set up in 1950.
• The planning commission is only an advisory body.

Additional Information 

• The headquarters of the Planning Commission is located in New Delhi.
• It was established on the recommendation of an advisory planning board under the chairmanship of K. C. Niyogi.
• The concept of planning was based on the Russian model introduced by Joseph Stalin.
• The Prime Minister is the chairman of the planning commission.
• Jawaharlal Nehru was the first chairman of the planning commission.
• The Deputy Chairman of the planning commission was appointed by the Union Cabinet.
• Gulzarilal Nanda was the first deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission.

The correct answer is 1953.

Key Points

• States Reorganization Commission:
  • State Reorganization was constituted by the Government of India on 29 December 1953.
  • It was constituted to look into the matter of redrawing the boundaries of States.
  • It was constituted to resolve the matter of the language-based states.
  • The State reorganization commission consisted of H N Kunzru, Fazal Ali, and K M Panikkar.
  • Andhra Pradesh was the first state of Independent India formed on a linguistic basis.

The correct answer is the National Institution for Transforming India.

Key Points

• NITI Aayog: 
  • NITI Aayog is not a constitutional body.
  • It was established on January 1, 2015.
  • It is formed in place of the Planning Commission.
  • The ex-officio president of this is the Prime Minister.
  • It is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.

Important Points

• ​The NITI Aayog:
  • Formed: 1 January 2015
  • Headquarters: New Delhi
  • Chairman - Narendra Modi
  • Vice-Chairman - Dr. Suman Bery
  • CEO - Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam
• Full-Time Members:
  • Shri V.K. Saraswat
  • Prof. Ramesh Chand
  • Dr. V. K. Paul

The correct answer is State Human Rights Commission.

• State Human Rights Commission is a non-constitutional body of India.

Key Points

• The State Human Rights Commission is a multi-member body.
• It consists of a Chairman and two members.
• It can enquire into violation of human rights only in respect of subjects mentioned in the state list and concurrent list.
• The chairman should be retired Chief Justice of High Court or a member who should be serving or retired judge of the high court for the district judge in the state with a minimum of 7 years experience as a district judge and a person having knowledge of practical experience with respect to human rights.
• The chairperson and members are appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Chief Minister as its head.
• The chairperson and members hold office for a term of 3 years or until they attend the age of 70.
• The members of the State Human Rights Commission are appointed by the Governor.
• The members of the State Human Rights Commission can only be removed by the president.
• The commission is not empowered to enquire into any matter after the expiry of one year from the date on which the act constituting a violation of human rights is alleged to have been committed.

The correct answer is  Union Home Minister.

Key Points

• The Zonal Councils are the statutory bodies as they are established by an Act of the Parliament, that is the States Reorganisation Act of 1956.
• There are 5 five Zonal councils:
  • The Northern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi, and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
  • The Central Zonal Council, comprising the States of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
  • The Eastern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and West Bengal.
  • The Western Zonal Council, comprising the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territories of Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
  • The Southern Zonal Council, comprising the States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
• North-Eastern Council
  • In addition to the above Zonal Councils, a North-Eastern Council was created by a separate Act of Parliament i.e. the North-Eastern Council Act of 1971. 
  • Its functions are similar to those of the zonal councils, but with few additions.
  • Its members include Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Sikkim.
• The organizational Structure Of Zonal Councils are as follows:
  • Chairman - The Union Home Minister is the Chairman of each of these Councils. Hence, Option 1 is the correct answer.
  • Vice-Chairman - The Chief Ministers of the States included in each zone act as Vice-Chairman of the Zonal Council for that zone by rotation, each holding office for a period of one year at a time.
  • Members- Chief Minister and two other Ministers as nominated by the Governor from each of the States and two members from Union Territories included in the zone.
  • Advisers- One person nominated by the Planning Commission for each of the Zonal Councils, Chief Secretaries, and another officer/Development Commissioner nominated by each of the States included in the Zone
• The zonal councils aim at promoting cooperation and coordination between states, union territories, and the Centre.
• They discuss and make recommendations on various matters.  
• They are only deliberative and advisory bodies.

The correct answer is 2015.

Key Points 

• The Planning Commission was charged with the responsibility of making assessments of all resources of the country, augmenting deficient resources, formulating plans for the most effective and balanced utilization of resources, and determining priorities.
• On 1 January 2015, a Cabinet resolution was passed to replace the Planning Commission with the newly formed NITI Aayog.

Additional Information

• NITI-National Institution for Transforming India
  • NITI Aayog is a policy think tank of the Government of India which replaced the Planning Commission of India. It was established with the aim of achieving sustainable development goals with cooperative federalism by fostering the involvement of State Governments in economic policies.
  • One of the objectives of NITI Aayog is to develop mechanisms to formulate credible plans at the village level and aggregate these progressively at higher levels of government.
  • Chairman of NITI Aayog- PM Narendra Modi

The correct answer is September 1984.

Key Points

• The GSDS is the union of Gandhi Smriti at 5 Tees January Marg and Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat as an independent body.
• It runs under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• It's former name is Birla House or Birla Bhavan.
• It is the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on 30 January 1948.

Important Points

• Gandhi Smriti is one of the biggest museums of Gandhi.
• It consists of a library where around 60,000 books are kept and comprise bookshops selling books of Gandhi.
• Around 6000 original photos of Gandhiji has been preserved here.

The correct answer is Statutory body.

Key Points

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India was established on 12 October 1993.

• It was established in 1993 under legislation enacted by the parliament, namely the protection of the Human Rights Act, 1993
• It is a statutory body.
• Headquarter: Delhi
• The commission is a multi-member body consisting of a chairman and five members.
• It is in conformity with the Paris Principles, adopted at the first international workshop on national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights held in Paris in October 1991, and endorsed by the General Assembly of the United Nations by its Regulations 48/134 of 20 December 1993.

Additional Information

• Constitutional bodies	Statutory body
  These bodies are mentioned under the constitution and derive their power from the constitution.	These are non-constitutional bodies and they do not find any mention in the constitution.
  Any change in the mechanism of these bodies would require a constitutional amendment.	They are created by an act of Parliament.
  Important constitutional bodies are: Finance Commission  Election Commission  the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) the UPSC	Important statutory bodies are : SEBI NHRC UIDAI

The correct answer is Governor.

• The chairperson and members of the State human rights commission are appointed by Governor.

Key Points

• The Protection of Human Rights Act of 1993 leads to the formation of the human rights commission at the state level.
  • The chairperson of the State human rights commission shall be retired chief justice of a High court or Judge of a High Court.
  • The chairperson and members of the State human rights commission are appointed by Governor.
  • The chairperson and members of the State human rights commission are removed by the President.
  • The chairperson and members of the State human rights commission will hold office for five years or till the age of seventy years, whichever earlier.
    • Note: The protection of human rights (amendment) bill 2019 proposed to reduce the term of the chairperson and members of the commission and the State commissions from five to three years.
  • The chairperson and members of the State human rights commission are appointed by the governor on the recommendation of a committee consisting of:
    • The Chief Minister as the chairperson.
    • The Home Minister
    • The Leader of the Opposition in the legislative council
    • The Leader of the Opposition in the legislative assembly
    • The Speaker of the legislative assembly.
    • The chairman of the legislative council.