RAS question
The State Legislative Council can be created or abolished by Parliament under which Article?
Correct answer: (B) Article 169.
Parliament can create or abolish a State Legislative Council under Article 169 of the Constitution, after the State Legislative Assembly passes the required special-majority resolution.
Explanation
Article 169 is the operative provision for changing whether a State has a Legislative Council. The official Constitution text says that, notwithstanding Article 168, Parliament may by law provide for abolishing a Legislative Council in a State that has one, or creating one in a State that does not, if the State Legislative Assembly first passes a resolution by a majority of its total membership and by at least two-thirds of members present and voting. This is why the answer is Article 169 rather than the neighbouring provisions on the structure or composition of State legislatures. Article 169 also clarifies that such a law is not treated as a constitutional amendment for the purposes of Article 368.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Article 171 concerns the composition and size limits of a Legislative Council after such a Council exists; it is not the provision that creates or abolishes it.
- (C) Article 170 deals with the composition of State Legislative Assemblies, so it does not authorise Parliament to create or abolish a Legislative Council.
- (D) Article 168 identifies the Legislature of a State and names its Houses, while Article 169 separately provides the creation-or-abolition mechanism for Legislative Councils.
Concept
This tests the State legislature chapter of Indian Polity, especially the distinction between the existence of a Legislative Council and its composition. RAS repeatedly asks such Article-based questions because they check exact constitutional placement, not just general political vocabulary.