Q. With reference to the Indian and British Parliamentary System, consider the following statements:
1. Both the Indian and British Parliamentary systems are based on Doctrine of the Sovereignty of Parliament.
2. In both the systems, the Prime Minister must be from the lower house of Parliament.
3. Britain has the system of legal responsibility of the ministers, while India has no such system.
4. Both the systems have an elected Head of the State.
How many of the above given statements are correct?
Exp) Option a is the correct answer.
Even though the Indian parliamentary system is largely based on the British pattern, there are some fundamental differences between the two.
Statement 1 is incorrect: The British system is based on the doctrine of the sovereignty of Parliament, while the Parliament is not supreme in India and enjoys limited and restricted powers due to a written Constitution, federal system, judicial review and fundamental rights.
Statement 2 is incorrect: In Britain, the Prime Minister should be a member of the Lower House of Parliament. In India, the Prime Minister may be a member of any of the two Houses of Parliament.
Statement 3 is correct: In India, there is no legal responsibility of the minister. While Britain has the system of legal responsibility of the minister. Unlike in Britain, the ministers in India are not required to countersign the official acts of the Head of the State.
Statement 4 is incorrect: India has a republican system in place of British monarchical system. In other words, the Head of the State in India (that is, President) is elected, while the Head of the State in Britain (that is, King or Queen) enjoys a hereditary position.
