GK Question

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In SR Bommai case (1994), the Supreme Court held that the President's satisfaction under Article 356 for imposing President's Rule must be based on ______ material and is subject to judicial review to prevent political misuse.

  1. subjective
  2. objective
  3. confidential
  4. partisan

Answer: objective

SR Bommai safeguards on Article 356: (a) Objective material requirement: Presidential satisfaction must be based on objective material (e.g., Governor's report, Assembly proceedings, independent verification), not subjective opinion or political consideration, (b) Judicial review scope: Courts can examine: (i) Relevance of material to constitutional breakdown, (ii) Mala fides or political motivation, (iii) Compliance with constitutional principles (secularism, democracy, federalism), (iv) Procedural compliance (floor test before dismissal), (c) Floor test principle: Primary method to test majority; Governor cannot dismiss Ministry without testing majority on Assembly floor, (d) Assembly dissolution safeguard: Not automatic; can be revived if proclamation struck down by court, (e) Applications: (i) Rameshwar Prasad (2006): Struck down Bihar Assembly dissolution based on unverified media reports, (ii) Recent Governor cases (2022-2024): Reiterated objective standards for Article 356 invocation, (f) Impact: Curbed arbitrary use of Article 356 for political ends; strengthened federal balance by protecting State autonomy against Centre overreach via gubernatorial discretion, (g) Illustrates constitutional federalism: Judicial review as guardian of federal balance; objective standards protect State autonomy within unified framework.

Topic Federalism - Article 356 Presidential Satisfaction Judicial Review
Exam Relevance President's Rule judicial review case study critical for UPSC Mains and Judiciary exams
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