RAS question
Anti-defection law is contained in which Schedule of the Constitution?
Correct answer: (C) 10th Schedule (52nd Amendment).
The anti-defection law is contained in the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, inserted by the Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985.
Explanation
The anti-defection law belongs to the Tenth Schedule, not to a standalone Article or the Ninth Schedule. The official extract of the Constitution labels the Tenth Schedule as the provisions dealing with disqualification on the ground of defection, and its footnote records that it was added by the Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985, with effect from 1 March 1985. This matches the core exam fact: the law covers disqualification of members of a House for defection, and it applies to State legislators as well as Parliament because the Schedule refers to the Legislative Assembly and, where relevant, either House of a State Legislature.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 356 is not the location of the anti-defection law; the cited constitutional extract places defection-related disqualification in the Tenth Schedule.
- (B) The Ninth Schedule is the wrong schedule here because the official extract specifically labels the Tenth Schedule as the provisions on disqualification on the ground of defection.
- (D) Article 370 is not the anti-defection provision; the source ties defection disqualification to the Tenth Schedule added by the 52nd Amendment.
Concept
This tests constitutional schedules and legislative disqualification, a recurring RAS area because anti-defection affects both Parliament and State Legislatures. For Rajasthan polity questions, the key link is between the Tenth Schedule and MLAs.