With reference to anti-defection law in India, consider the following statements :
- 1.The law specifies that a nominated legislator cannot join any political party within six months of being appointed to the House.
- 2.The law does not provide any time-frame within which the presiding officer has to decide a defection case.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Show answer
Answer: B. Statement 1 is wrong: under the Tenth Schedule a nominated member may join a party within six months of taking the seat; joining after six months leads to disqualification. Statement 2 is correct: the law sets no time limit for the Speaker or Chairman to decide a defection petition. So 2 only.
Watch for: The six-month window is real but its direction is flipped in the statement.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Wrong because the six-month rule is the reverse: joining is allowed within six months.
- C. Wrong because statement 1 is incorrect.
- D. Wrong because statement 2 is correct.
Source to check: Constitution of India, Tenth Schedule, Paragraph 2(3); Keisham Meghachandra Singh v. Speaker, Manipur (2020)
Answer from the official UPSC key. Written and fact-checked by AI against the official key. Spotted a mistake? Report it.