RAS question
CAG is appointed by the President under:
Correct answer: (B) Article 148.
The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India is appointed by the President under Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
Explanation
Article 148 is the constitutional provision that creates the office of the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and states that the CAG is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal. This makes Article 148 the direct answer to a question on the mode of appointment. The same official constitutional-provisions page separates the neighbouring articles by function: Article 149 deals with the CAG's duties and powers, Article 150 deals with the form in which Union and State accounts are kept, and Article 151 deals with audit reports. So the key is to identify the article attached to appointment, not the later provisions on accounts, powers or reporting.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 150 concerns the form in which the accounts of the Union and the States are kept; it is not the appointment provision for the CAG.
- (C) Article 151 concerns the submission of CAG audit reports to the President or Governor for laying before the legislature, not appointment.
- (D) Article 149 concerns the CAG's duties and powers in relation to accounts, while the appointment language appears in Article 148.
Concept
This tests the constitutional position of independent authorities, especially the CAG's appointment and safeguards. RAS repeatedly asks such article-mapping questions because governance topics often turn on distinguishing appointment, powers, accounts and reporting provisions.