With reference to India, consider the following pairs : Action : The Act under which it is covered 1. Unauthorized wearing of police or military uniforms : The Official Secrets Act, 1923 2. Knowingly misleading or otherwise interfering with a police officer or military officer when engaged in their duties : The Indian Evidence Act, 1872 3. Celebratory gunfire which can endanger the personal safety of others : The Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two ✓ UPSC's answer
- (c) All three
- (d) None
Why the answer is (b)
• Pair 1 is correct: Section 6 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 penalises the unauthorised use of uniforms, including police and military uniforms, and impersonation of officials.
• Pair 3 is correct: the Arms (Amendment) Act, 2019 inserted Section 25(9) to punish celebratory gunfire that endangers life, with imprisonment up to two years.
• Pair 2 is wrong: the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 deals with rules of evidence in courts; obstructing or misleading public servants is covered by the Indian Penal Code (now the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) and the Official Secrets Act, not the Evidence Act.
• Hence two pairs, option (b).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- Both the uniform pair and the celebratory-gunfire pair are correct.
- (c) All three
- Pair 2 wrongly cites the Evidence Act.
- (d) None
- Pairs 1 and 3 are correctly matched.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.