RAS question
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is appointed under:
Correct answer: (D) Article 148.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India is appointed under Article 148 of the Constitution of India.
Explanation
Article 148 is the appointment provision for the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. In the official Constitution text, it creates the office of the CAG and states that the CAG is appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal. The same clause also protects the office by saying that the CAG can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court. That is why Article 148, not the neighbouring audit-account provisions, is the answer here. Article 149 moves to the CAG's duties and powers, Article 150 concerns the form in which Union and State accounts are kept, and Article 151 deals with audit reports.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 151 is about the CAG's audit reports being submitted to the President or the Governor and laid before the legislature; it is not the appointment article.
- (B) Article 149 defines the CAG's duties and powers in relation to accounts, so it comes after the office has already been created and the appointment rule stated in Article 148.
- (C) Article 150 deals with the form of accounts of the Union and the States, prescribed by the President on the advice of the CAG, not with appointing the CAG.
Concept
This tests the constitutional position of independent authorities, especially the CAG's appointment and safeguards. It recurs in RAS because questions often distinguish Article 148 from the adjacent provisions on duties, accounts and reports.