"India's governance model must anchor effectiveness in constitutional institutions"
Horizontal accountability
the capacity of institutions within the state (Parliament, judiciary, regulators) to check executive power.
Beneficiary politics
framing statutory welfare entitlements as personal gifts from a leader rather than enforceable rights.
India's constitutional democracy rests on a framework that distributes power across institutions, Parliament, the judiciary, the executive, and federal units, precisely to prevent its concentration in any single authority. Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression, while Articles 19(1)(b) and 19(1)(c) protect peaceful assembly and association. These rights are subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2), with the judiciary as the final arbiter of reasonableness. The Preamble commits the republic to justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, values that bind every organ of the state, not just the legislature.
The constitutional design also embeds federal balance. The Seventh Schedule divides legislative competence between the Union and states. Major policy decisions affecting states are expected to involve consultation, a norm reinforced by the spirit of cooperative federalism. Parliamentary committees, especially departmentally related standing committees, exist to provide detailed scrutiny of legislation before it is enacted, ensuring that speed does not come at the cost of deliberation.
The Directive Principles of State Policy under Part IV of the Constitution define the welfare obligations of the state. These are not justiciable rights, but they frame the constitutional meaning of socialism: not state ownership of the economy, but social and economic justice, equality of opportunity, and protection from degrading deprivation. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that Directive Principles and Fundamental Rights must be read harmoniously, not in opposition.
Constitutional democracy is sustained by more than periodic elections. It requires what scholars call horizontal accountability, the capacity of institutions such as Parliament, the judiciary, and independent regulatory bodies to check executive power from within the state itself. When these institutions function robustly, electoral mandates are translated into policy within constitutional limits. When they weaken, even a democratically elected government can drift toward unchecked authority.
Parliamentary scrutiny is the most direct form of horizontal accountability. The referral of bills to standing committees allows expert examination, stakeholder consultation, and clause-by-clause deliberation. When bills are passed within days of introduction without committee referral, this process is bypassed. Data cited in the article is stark: during the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, only 16 per cent of bills were referred to parliamentary committees, and approximately 80 per cent of the Union Budget was voted without discussion between 2019 and 2023. …
Rajya Sabha has equal powers with Lok Sabha in
With reference to the Indian polity, consider the following statements:
I.An Ordinance can amend any Central Act.
II.An Ordinance can abridge a Fundamental Right.
III.An Ordinance can come into effect from a back date.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to parliamentary scrutiny in India, consider the following statements:
1.During the Seventeenth Lok Sabha, more than half of all bills were referred to parliamentary committees before passage.
2.Departmentally Related Standing Committees can examine bills, demand for grants, and the working of ministries.
3.A Money Bill can be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Which of the following best describes the constitutional basis for the Inter-State Council in India?
Consider the following statements regarding rights-based governance and welfare delivery in India:
1.The National Food Security Act creates a statutory entitlement to subsidised food, enforceable as a legal right.
2.The Directive Principles of State Policy under Part IV of the Constitution are justiciable in courts.
3.Social audits are a mechanism under MGNREGS to ensure community oversight of public expenditure.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
With reference to the Preamble of the Indian Constitution, which of the following assertions is correct?
Assertion (A): The Supreme Court upheld the inclusion of 'socialist' and 'secular' in the Preamble, added by the 42nd Constitutional Amendment.
Reason (R): The Preamble is a part of the Constitution and can be amended under Article 368, subject to the basic structure doctrine.
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