Previous Year Question
Given below are two statements, one is labelled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).
Assertion (A): According to the Constitution of India, the same person cannot function as the Governor of two or more States at the same time.
Reason (R): Article 153 of the Indian Constitution states that there shall be a Governor for each State.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is false, but (R) is true.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
(A) is true, but (R) is false.
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Article 153 of the Indian Constitution deals with Governors of States. It provides for a Governor for each State. However, the Constitution also permits the appointment of the same person as Governor of two or more States.
Assertion (A) is incorrect.
The original Article 153 provided for a Governor for each State.
Subsequently, the 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, inserted a proviso into Article 153.
According to this proviso, nothing in Article 153 prevents the appointment of the same person as Governor of two or more States.
This means that one person may function as the Governor of two or more States simultaneously.
The same amendment also inserted clause (3A) into Article 158. According to this provision, when the same person is appointed Governor of two or more States, their emoluments and allowances are allocated among the concerned States in such proportion as the President may determine.
Reason (R) is correct.
The main provision of Article 153 states that there shall be a Governor for each State.
This means that a constitutional office of Governor is provided for each State.
However, it does not mean that each State must have a different individual serving as Governor.
The proviso to Article 153 clarifies that the same person may be appointed Governor of more than one State.
Article 155 — Appointment of Governor
According to Article 155, the Governor of a State is appointed by the President through a warrant under their hand and seal.
Thus, Article 155 deals with the appointment of Governors, while Article 153 provides for a Governor for each State and permits the appointment of one person as Governor of multiple States.