CAPF AC 2022 Q108: Indian Polity – Fundamental Duties
- (a) Doctrine of Pleasure
- (b) Fundamental Duties
- (c) Nomination of Anglo-Indian Members to the Lok Sabha
- (d) Impeachment of the President of India
Answer: (b) Fundamental Duties
Explanation
Swaran Singh Committee
How to think: the original Constitution had rights but no duties.
During the Emergency, the Congress set up a committee under Sardar Swaran Singh in 1976.
It recommended adding a chapter on Fundamental Duties.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Committee | Swaran Singh Committee, 1976 |
| Recommended | Fundamental Duties (it suggested eight) |
| Added by | 42nd Amendment Act, 1976 |
| Where | Part IVA, Article 51A |
| Number | Ten at first; an eleventh was added by the 86th Amendment, 2002 |
| Inspired by | The constitution of the former USSR |
Not accepted: the committee also suggested penalties for not following the duties.
Parliament did not include them, so the duties are non-justiciable.
Answer: (b) Fundamental Duties.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. The doctrine of pleasure (Article 310) was in the original Constitution.
- (b) CORRECT. The Swaran Singh Committee recommended Fundamental Duties.
- (c) Incorrect. Nomination of Anglo-Indian members was an original provision (Article 331).
- (d) Incorrect. Impeachment of the President (Article 61) was in the original Constitution.
Key point
Fundamental Duties: Swaran Singh Committee (1976) → 42nd Amendment → Part IVA, Article 51A; 10 duties, 11th added by the 86th Amendment (2002) on educating children aged 6 to 14. Borrowed from the USSR. Verma Committee (1999) on their implementation.
Remember
Swaran Singh Committee → 42nd Amendment → Article 51A.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up the Swaran Singh Committee with the Sarkaria or Verma committees.
- Saying the duties came with the 44th Amendment; it was the 42nd.
- Thinking the duties can be enforced by courts like fundamental rights.
Exam tip
Educated guess: the other three provisions were in the Constitution from 1950, so no committee of the 1970s could have recommended inserting them.
Sources
- Constitution of India — Part IVA, Article 51A; the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976
- NCERT Class XI Political Science — Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 2: Rights in the Indian Constitution