RAS question
The President's Rule under Article 356 can be imposed for a maximum continuous period of:
Correct answer: (D) 3 years.
President's Rule under Article 356 can remain in force for a maximum continuous period of three years, subject to parliamentary approval at each six-month extension.
Explanation
Article 356 does not create an open-ended suspension of a State's constitutional machinery. Once a Proclamation is approved, it normally ceases after six months from the date of issue unless both Houses of Parliament approve its continuance. Each such approval extends it by a further six months, but the Constitution states that no such Proclamation shall remain in force for more than three years. The stricter rule after one year is also important: Parliament cannot approve continuation beyond one year unless a Proclamation of Emergency is in operation and the Election Commission certifies that holding the State Assembly election is difficult during that period. That is why the maximum continuous period asked here is three years, not merely the initial six months.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Six months is only the normal period after approval before a fresh parliamentary resolution is needed; it is not the outer constitutional limit.
- (B) One year is the point after which extra conditions apply, not the maximum period for which Article 356 can continue.
- (C) Article 356 expressly sets a ceiling by saying that such a Proclamation shall not remain in force for more than three years.
Concept
This tests Emergency provisions under the Indian Constitution, especially the duration and safeguards around President's Rule. RAS repeatedly asks this because Article 356 sits at the intersection of federalism, parliamentary control and election-related constitutional limits.