UPSC Prelims 2005 · General Studies
Question 3: Polity and Governance
Consider the following statements :
- 1.There are 25 High Courts in India
- 2.Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have a common High Court.
- 3.National Capital Territory of Delhi has a High Court of its own.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
AnswerThe answer is (a).
Statements 2 and 3 are correct. One High Court at Chandigarh serves Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, and Delhi has had its own High Court since 1966. Statement 1 was false in 2005, when India had 21 High Courts. Remember the shared ones: Punjab and Haryana with Chandigarh, and Gauhati for several north-eastern states.
- 1. India had 21 High Courts in 2005 (25 today), not 25.
- 2. The Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh is common to both states and the Union Territory.
- 3. Delhi has had its own High Court since 1966.
How you could have got this
- If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (b) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: India had 21 High Courts in 2005 (25 today), not 25.
- Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: The Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh is common to both states and the Union Territory.
Only (a) is left. You didn’t need statement 3.
This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.
Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Correct: statements 2 and 3 hold, and statement 1 is false.
- (b) Includes statement 1, which was false in 2005 (21 High Courts), and drops statement 3.
- (c) Includes statement 1, which was false in 2005.
- (d) Leaves out statement 2, which is true.
Worth knowing: Statement 1 was false in 2005 (21 High Courts) but is true today (25), so the question would be answered differently now.
Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2005, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.