RAS question
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution deals with:
Correct answer: (C) Anti-defection provisions.
The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution contains the anti-defection provisions for disqualifying members of Parliament and State legislatures on the ground of defection.
Explanation
The Tenth Schedule is the anti-defection schedule because its official heading links it to Articles 102(2) and 191(2) and describes it as dealing with disqualification on the ground of defection. It was added by the Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985. The verified Constitution text then sets out the operative rule: a member may be disqualified for giving up party membership, or for voting or abstaining against an authorised party direction without prior permission and without later condonation within fifteen days. It also sends defection questions to the Chairman or Speaker of the House, and this decision is subject to judicial review under Kihoto Hollohan.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Languages recognised by the Constitution are placed in the Eighth Schedule, so this option identifies the wrong schedule.
- (B) Distribution of legislative powers between the Union and the States belongs to the Seventh Schedule, not the Tenth Schedule.
- (D) Administration of tribal areas is dealt with through the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, whereas the Tenth Schedule concerns defection-based disqualification.
Concept
This tests the schedules of the Constitution and the anti-defection law, a core Polity area in RAS Prelims. It recurs because schedule-based factual mapping is often asked, and the Tenth Schedule also connects constitutional text with legislative conduct.