Which of the following Commissions has been given the special responsibility of safeguarding the rights and interests of the Anglo-Indian Community?
- (a)The National Commission for Scheduled Castes
- (b)The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
- (c)The National Backward Classes Commission
- (d)The National Human Rights Commission
Correct — A, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes. Article 338(10) provides that in that Article, references to the Scheduled Castes shall be construed as including references to the Anglo-Indian community. The effect is that every function the Commission performs for the Scheduled Castes under Article 338 — investigating and monitoring safeguards, enquiring into specific complaints, advising on planning for socio-economic development, and reporting to the President — it also performs for the Anglo-Indian community. No separate Anglo-Indian commission exists.
- (b)The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes — Created as a separate body by the 89th Amendment Act, 2003 under Article 338A, its mandate is confined to the Scheduled Tribes. The Anglo-Indian clause sits in Article 338, not Article 338A.
- (c)The National Backward Classes Commission — The National Commission for Backward Classes works for the socially and educationally backward classes under Article 338B, inserted by the 102nd Amendment Act, 2018. That same amendment removed backward classes from the NCSC's remit — but left the Anglo-Indian mandate with the NCSC.
- (d)The National Human Rights Commission — A statutory body set up under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, not a constitutional one, and its mandate is human rights generally — it is not charged with safeguarding any single named community.
Article 338 originally created one commission for both Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The 89th Amendment Act, 2003 split it into the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (Article 338) and the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (Article 338A), with the two bodies functioning separately from 2004. The Anglo-Indian community — defined in Article 366(2) — has never had its own commission; instead, Article 338(10) folds it into the NCSC's jurisdiction.
The safe route is to map each commission to its Article rather than to guess by name: 338 = Scheduled Castes (plus Anglo-Indians), 338A = Scheduled Tribes, 338B = Backward Classes. Option (d) is the classic constitutional-versus-statutory trap: the NHRC sounds like the natural protector of a minority's rights, but it is a 1993 statutory body with a general mandate, while the question asks about a special responsibility written into the Constitution.
- Article 338(10) — references to the Scheduled Castes in Article 338 include the Anglo-Indian community
- 89th Amendment Act, 2003 — split the combined commission into the NCSC (Article 338) and the NCST (Article 338A)
- 102nd Amendment Act, 2018 — gave the National Commission for Backward Classes constitutional status under Article 338B and took backward classes out of the NCSC's remit
- The NCSC's reports go to the President, who causes them to be laid before Parliament (Article 338(5) and (6))
- 'Anglo-Indian' is defined in Article 366(2) of the Constitution
- The 104th Amendment Act, 2019 ended the nomination of Anglo-Indians to the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies (Articles 331 and 333) with effect from 25 January 2020
- The NHRC is statutory — Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
Only the NCSC carries a named community mandate beyond its title — the Anglo-Indians, via Article 338(10).
- Choosing the NHRC because it 'protects rights' — it is statutory and has no community-specific charge
- Assuming a separate Anglo-Indian commission exists — the community is covered by the NCSC under Article 338(10)
- Still crediting the NCSC with backward classes — that ended with the 102nd Amendment Act, 2018, but its Anglo-Indian mandate continues
MPPSC returns to Article 338 almost every cycle — sometimes as 'Article 338 relates to which commission', sometimes as composition or as this Anglo-Indian rider. UPSC prefers the constitutional-versus-statutory framing. Both are answered by the same 338 / 338A / 338B map.
According to the Constitution of India, it is the duty of the President of India to cause to be laid before the Parliament which of the following? 1. The Recommendations of the Union Finance Commission 2. The Report of the Public Accounts Committee 3. The Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General 4. The Report of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 and 4 only
- (c) 1, 3 and 4 only
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
Tests the same Article 338 machinery from the reporting side — the NCSC reports to the President, who lays them before Parliament, which is the constitutional standing that makes it (and not the NHRC) the body charged with the Anglo-Indian mandate.
Consider the following organizations/bodies in India: 1. The National Commission for Backward Classes 2. The National Human Rights Commission 3. The National Law Commission 4. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission How many of the above are constitutional bodies?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) Only three
- (d) All four
Answer(a) Only one
The exact distinction that eliminates option (d) here — the NCBC is constitutional (Article 338B) while the NHRC is only statutory under the 1993 Act.
Article 338 of the Constitution of India is related to the
- (a) National Commission for Scheduled Castes
- (b) National Commission for Scheduled Tribes
- (c) National Commission for Backward Classes
- (d) National Human Rights Commission
Answer(a) National Commission for Scheduled Castes
Same four options, same underlying map — MPPSC first asked which commission Article 338 creates; in 2026 it asks which commission that Article's clause (10) puts in charge of the Anglo-Indians.
Under which Article of the Constitution of India has the National Commission for Scheduled Castes been constituted?
- (a) Article 332
- (b) Article 338
- (c) Article 342
- (d) Article 328
Answer(b) Article 338
The same Article-to-commission pairing tested directly one cycle earlier — fix Article 338 to the NCSC and the Anglo-Indian rider in clause (10) follows.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes was constituted as a separate constitutional body by which Constitutional Amendment Act?
- (a)65th Amendment Act, 1990
- (b)86th Amendment Act, 2002
- (c)89th Amendment Act, 2003
- (d)102nd Amendment Act, 2018
Answer(c) 89th Amendment Act, 2003 — it inserted Article 338A and split the earlier combined SC and ST commission.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The nomination of members of the Anglo-Indian community to the Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies was discontinued by:
- (a)101st Amendment Act, 2016
- (b)102nd Amendment Act, 2018
- (c)103rd Amendment Act, 2019
- (d)104th Amendment Act, 2019
Answer(d) 104th Amendment Act, 2019 — the nominated Anglo-Indian seats under Articles 331 and 333 ceased with effect from 25 January 2020.