In which one of the following States has the President’s Rule been imposed most number of times ?
- (a)Bihar
- (b)Karnataka
- (c)Manipur
- (d)Punjab
Correct — C, Manipur. President's Rule has been imposed on Manipur ten times, more than on any other state. Uttar Pradesh follows with nine, then Punjab and Bihar with eight each, Karnataka and Kerala with six. The Union has used Article 356 about 134 times since 1950. Manipur's tally is a product of its political history — it became a full state only in 1972, and small assemblies with shifting coalitions produced repeated breakdowns of government through the 1970s and 1980s, each ending in central rule. Among the four options the question offers, Bihar, Karnataka and Punjab all sit below Manipur's count.
- (a)Bihar — Eight impositions, tied with Punjab and two short of Manipur. Bihar is the intuitive guess because its 1970s and 1990s politics were turbulent and widely reported, but volume of news is not the same as number of proclamations.
- (b)Karnataka — Six impositions. Karnataka is remembered here for a different reason — the 1989 dismissal of the S. R. Bommai government, which produced the 1994 judgment that made a proclamation judicially reviewable.
- (d)Punjab — Eight impositions, including the long spell during the militancy years. That spell was unusually long, which is what people remember, but the question counts occasions and not months.
Article 356 lets the President, on a report from the Governor or otherwise, take over the government of a state when its constitutional machinery has failed. The state's executive powers pass to the Union and its legislative powers to Parliament; the assembly is either dissolved or held in suspended animation. A proclamation must be approved by both Houses within two months and then every six months, and it cannot ordinarily run beyond three years.
The right way into an item like this is to ask which state has had the most changes of government rather than which has been in the news most. B. R. Ambedkar defended the article in the Constituent Assembly on the plea that it would be used as a matter of last resort and would remain a dead letter — a promise the count of 134 has not kept. The turning point was S. R. Bommai v. Union of India in 1994, which held a proclamation open to judicial review, required the floor of the House rather than the Governor's opinion to settle a majority, and sharply reduced arbitrary use. Anchor the figure to the exam and then update it honestly: ten was Manipur's count at the September 2022 paper, and the most recent spell began on 13 February 2025, after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned, with the assembly placed in suspended animation.
- Manipur has had President's Rule imposed ten times, the most of any state.
- Uttar Pradesh has had nine, Punjab and Bihar eight each, Karnataka and Kerala six each.
- The Union has used Article 356 roughly 134 times since 1950.
- A proclamation needs parliamentary approval every six months and cannot ordinarily run beyond three years.
- S. R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994) made the proclamation judicially reviewable and required a floor test.
The count rewards political instability, not the prominence of a state in the news.
- Counting the length of a spell rather than the number of proclamations.
- Assuming the assembly is automatically dissolved. It may instead be kept in suspended animation.
- Picking the state that dominated the news; the count follows coalition instability in small assemblies.
As a superlative recall item like this one, or as a statements question on what does and does not follow from a proclamation.
Which of the following are not necessarily the consequences of the proclamation of the President’s rule in a State? 1. Dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly 2. Removal of the Council of Ministers in the State 3. Dissolution of the local bodies Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1 and 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(b) 1 and 3 only
The same provision from the consequences side. That item settles what actually follows a proclamation — the ministry always goes, the assembly need not be dissolved, and local bodies are untouched — which is the substance behind the bare count this CDS question asks for.
CDS_GK_2020_I_Q912020Which one of the following Articles was defended by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar on the plea that it would be used as ‘a matter of last resort’?
- (a) Article 352
- (b) Article 359
- (c) Article 356
- (d) Article 368
Answer(c) Article 356
The two halves of one story. CDS 2020 asks what Ambedkar promised the article would be; this 2022 item asks how often it has actually been used, and the answer of ten times in a single state is the distance between the promise and the record.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Under which Article of the Constitution of India is President's Rule imposed in a State?
- (a)Article 352
- (b)Article 356
- (c)Article 360
- (d)Article 365
Answer(b) Article 356 — the provision for failure of constitutional machinery in a State.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The judgment in S. R. Bommai v. Union of India (1994) is chiefly remembered for which one of the following?
- (a)Making a proclamation under Article 356 subject to judicial review
- (b)Abolishing the office of Governor
- (c)Making the Rajya Sabha equal to the Lok Sabha on Money Bills
- (d)Creating the National Judicial Appointments Commission
Answer(a) Making a proclamation under Article 356 subject to judicial review, with the floor of the House as the test of majority.