RAS question
Article 356 (President's Rule) can be imposed in a State when:
Correct answer: (A) The President is satisfied that the government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
Article 356 allows President's Rule in a State when the President is satisfied, on the Governor's report or otherwise, that the State government cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
Explanation
Article 356 is the Constitution's provision for failure of constitutional machinery in a State. The official text says that if the President, on receiving a report from the Governor or otherwise, is satisfied that a situation has arisen in which the Government of the State cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution, the President may issue a Proclamation. That is why option A is the precise constitutional trigger: the test is not political disagreement, administrative difficulty, or an ordinary change in leadership, but the President's satisfaction about breakdown of constitutional governance. S. R. Bommai (1994) laid down guidelines to prevent misuse of this power.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) A Chief Minister's resignation by itself does not satisfy Article 356; the constitutional condition is that the State government cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution.
- (C) Passing a law against Central government policy is not the Article 356 test; the provision turns on failure of constitutional machinery, not mere disagreement with the Union.
- (D) A natural disaster may create an emergency situation, but Article 356 is triggered only by inability to carry on the State government according to the Constitution.
Concept
This tests emergency provisions under Part XVIII, especially the constitutional threshold for President's Rule. It recurs in RAS because Article 356 links federalism, Governor-President relations, and safeguards against misuse of central power.