UPSC Prelims 2007 · General Studies

Question 42: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements:

1.The Judges (Inquiry) Bill, 2006 contemplates establishing a Judicial Council which will receive complaints against judges of the Supreme Court including the Chief Justice of India, High Court Chief Justices and Judges.
2.Under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, a woman can file a petition before a 1st Class Judicial Magistrate.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

a1 only

b2 only

cBoth 1 and 2

dNeither 1 nor 2

AnswerThe answer is (b).

Statement 2 is correct: under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, an aggrieved woman can apply for protection and relief to a Magistrate of the first class. Statement 1 is marked incorrect in the given answer. The Judges (Inquiry) Bill, 2006 only proposed a council to look into complaints about judges and was never enacted; inquiries into judges still follow the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

1. Marked incorrect in the given answer; the 2006 Bill was only a proposal and never became law.
2. A woman can apply to a Magistrate of the first class under the 2005 Act.

How you could have got this

If you were sure statement 1 is not correct, (a) and (c) go: each of them includes 1.
What you needed to know: Marked incorrect in the given answer; the 2006 Bill was only a proposal and never became law.
Then, if you were sure statement 2 is correct, (d) goes: it leaves 2 out.
What you needed to know: A woman can apply to a Magistrate of the first class under the 2005 Act.

Only (b) is left. This one needs every statement.

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) Names statement 1 alone, which the given answer marks incorrect, and drops statement 2.
(b) Correct: only statement 2 holds.
(c) Needs statement 1 to hold, which the given answer rejects.
(d) Statement 2 is correct, so 'neither' fails.

Worth knowing: The given answer's rejection of statement 1 is debatable, since the Bill did aim at a council for complaints against Supreme Court and High Court judges, though it was never enacted.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2007, General Studies. UPSC's own paper isn't online; the words are from a published compilation. The paper on upsc.gov.in.