Which of the following recommended the post of Rajpramukh to be abolished in Rajasthan and the arrangement of the Governor was made instead ?

Correct — option (3), State Reorganization Commission.

The States Reorganisation Commission — Saiyid Fazl Ali, Hriday Nath Kunzru and K.M. Panikkar — was set up by a Government of India resolution of 29 December 1953 and dated its report 30 September 1955.

Rajasthan was then a Part B State, headed by a Rajpramukh. The report found that the role of Rajpramukhs in Part B States was "more or less the same" as that of Governors in Part A States, both being constitutional heads.

It still weighed against the office. The report noted that large sections of public opinion viewed its continuance with disfavour, and that a State's constitutional head should not, generally speaking, be a resident of that State.

Paragraph 244 concluded: "We would, therefore, recommend that this institution be abolished." Its summary put the aim plainly: Part B States could be equated with Part A States by omitting Article 371 and abolishing the institution of the Rajpramukh.

The Seventh Amendment gave effect to the change from 1 November 1956, the day Rajasthan's first Governor, Gurumukh Nihal Singh, took charge.

Recommendation: States Reorganisation Commission (1955). Law: Seventh Amendment (1956).

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  State Legislative Assembly — The office of Rajpramukh was part of the Constitution's scheme for Part B States, so a State Legislative Assembly could not end it. The change needed an amendment of the Constitution by Parliament — the Seventh Amendment, 1956.

  The recommendation behind that amendment came from the States Reorganisation Commission's report, not from the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

• (2)
  Constituent Assembly — The Constituent Assembly framed the Constitution that created the Part A, B and C categories, with Rajpramukhs at the head of Part B States such as Rajasthan.

  The proposal to abolish the office came years later, in the States Reorganisation Commission's report of 30 September 1955.

• (4)
  State Administrative Reforms Commission — The status of Part B States and their Rajpramukhs was taken up by the States Reorganisation Commission, in the part of its report on the basic pattern of the component units of the Union.

  An administrative reforms commission reviews how government is run; the recommendation to replace the Rajpramukh with a Governor is in the States Reorganisation Commission's report.

When the Constitution came into force, States were placed in Parts A, B and C. Part B States had been formed from princely states and were headed by a Rajpramukh, recognised by the President, instead of a Governor appointed by the President.

Rajasthan was a Part B State. The Legislative Bodies in India record for Rajasthan lists Maharaja Sawai Man Singh as Rajpramukh from 30 March 1949 to 31 October 1956.

The States Reorganisation Commission recommended ending the Part A–Part B distinction: omit Article 371's central control over Part B States and abolish the Rajpramukh. The Seventh Amendment, with effect from 1 November 1956, ended the classification and the office.

From that day Rajasthan had a Governor. Raj Bhavan records Gurumukh Nihal Singh as Governor from 1 November 1956 to 15 April 1962.

Key facts

• The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali, Kunzru, Panikkar) was set up on 29 December 1953 and dated its report 30 September 1955.
• Report paragraph 244: "We would, therefore, recommend that this institution be abolished" — the institution of Rajpramukh.
• The Seventh Amendment, 1956 abolished the Part A/B/C classification of States, and with it the Rajpramukh, from 1 November 1956.
• Maharaja Sawai Man Singh was Rajpramukh of Rajasthan from 30 March 1949 to 31 October 1956.
• Gurumukh Nihal Singh, Rajasthan's first Governor, held office from 1 November 1956 to 15 April 1962.

Common traps

• Confusing the recommending body with the amending Act. The States Reorganisation Commission recommended; the Seventh Amendment made it law.
• Crediting the change to the State Legislative Assembly. The office rested on the Constitution, so only Parliament could end it by amendment.
• Mixing up the first Governor's dates. Raj Bhavan records 1 November 1956 as the day Gurumukh Nihal Singh took charge; the date of his appointment is a separate fact to check.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The office of Rajpramukh was abolished by which of the following?

  • (a)Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951
  • (b)Constitution (Seventh Amendment) Act, 1956
  • (c)Constitution (Twenty-sixth Amendment) Act, 1971
  • (d)Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976
  Answer(2) — the Seventh Amendment ended the office from 1 November 1956. The First Amendment (1) of 1951 dealt with Fundamental Rights such as Article 19. The Twenty-sixth Amendment (3) of 1971 came long after the office had ended. The Forty-second Amendment (4) of 1976 inserted provisions such as Articles 39A and 48A.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Who was the Rajpramukh of Rajasthan immediately before the office of Governor was created in 1956?

  • (a)Maharaja Sawai Man Singh
  • (b)Gurumukh Nihal Singh
  • (c)Hiralal Shastri
  • (d)Mohan Lal Sukhadia
  Answer(1) — Maharaja Sawai Man Singh was Rajpramukh from 30 March 1949 to 31 October 1956. Gurumukh Nihal Singh (2) was the first Governor, from 1 November 1956. Hiralal Shastri (3) was the first Chief Minister of Greater Rajasthan in 1949, and Mohan Lal Sukhadia (4) was Chief Minister in 1956.