UPSC Prelims 2023 · GS Paper I
Question 77: Polity and Governance
Consider the following statements :
- 1.According to the Constitution of India, the Central Government has a duty to protect States from internal disturbances.
- 2.The Constitution of India exempts the States from providing legal counsel to a person being held for preventive detention.
- 3.According to the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, confession of the accused before the police cannot be used as evidence.
How many of the above statements are correct?
AnswerUPSC’s answer is (b).
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Article 355 makes it the Union's duty to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance. Article 22 gives arrested persons the right to consult and be defended by a lawyer, but this right does not apply to persons held under preventive detention laws. Statement 3 is wrong: under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002, a confession made to a senior police officer was admissible as evidence, unlike under ordinary law.
- 1. Article 355 makes the Union responsible for protecting States from internal disturbance.
- 2. The right to a lawyer under Article 22 does not apply to preventive detention.
- 3. POTA 2002 allowed confessions to police officers as evidence.
How you could have got this
No shortcut here: in a “how many” question, ruling out options doesn’t help. Every statement has to be judged.
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) Only one undercounts; statements 1 and 2 are both true.
- (b) Correct: statements 1 and 2 hold.
- (c) Statement 3 is wrong, so not all three.
- (d) Statements 1 and 2 are true, so not none.
Answer: UPSC’s key. Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.
Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.