← All questionsGS2 · 2023 · Polity ·Decline in Use of Article 356
QUESTION 13
GS2
15 marks

Account for the legal and political factors responsible for the reduced frequency of using Article 356 by the Union Governments since mid 1990s.

WRITE IN
11 min
250 words

What the examiner wants

Explain the legal and political reasons why President's Rule has been imposed far less often since the mid-1990s.

Account forGive the reasons that explain it.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Legal: S.R. Bommai (1994) — judicial review, floor test, secularism; Rameshwar Prasad (2006)≈65 words
  2. 2Political: coalition governments dependent on regional parties, Rajya Sabha approval needed, public backlash, stronger regional parties≈65 words
  3. 3Recent examples: Arunachal and Uttarakhand (2016) reversed by courts≈65 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

Article 356 history (over 100 uses)Legal factorsPolitical factorsRecent casesConclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Covering only legal factors or only political ones
  • Not citing S.R. Bommai

Draw this

  • Bar chart: number of Article 356 uses per decade

Value addition

  • Case lawS.R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994): proclamation is subject to judicial review; majority must be tested on the floor of the House.Supreme Court of India, 1994
  • Case lawNabam Rebia v. Deputy Speaker (2016): the Court restored the dismissed Arunachal Pradesh government.Supreme Court of India, 2016

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