"The growth of cabinet system has practically resulted in the marginalisation of the parliamentary supremacy." Elucidate. (Answer…

"The growth of cabinet system has practically resulted in the marginalisation of the parliamentary supremacy." Elucidate. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

"कैबिनेट प्रणाली के विकास के परिणामस्वरूप व्यावहारिक रूप से संसदीय सर्वोच्चता हाशिए पर चली गई है।" स्पष्ट कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में लिखिए)

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Model answer

Drafted with AI by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key. How we build rubrics and answers.

While Parliament retains legal sovereignty, the evolution of the cabinet system has practically enabled political executive dominance through the Cabinet and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Mechanisms of Dominance Executive control over Parliament is primarily secured through strict party discipline enforced by the whip system and the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), curtailing independent legislative debate. Furthermore, the proliferation of delegated legislation and frequent recourse to ordinances (Article 123) bypass plenary scrutiny. Sittings have fallen from over 120 days a year in the 1950s to about 55–70, and only about 16% of bills in the 17th Lok Sabha were referred to committees. Simultaneously, power concentration within the PMO weakens both Cabinet collective responsibility (Article 75) and floor accountability.

Persisting Safeguards However, parliamentary supremacy is constrained rather than extinguished. The executive remains bound by constitutional checks, including no-confidence motions, judicial review, and scrutiny through Parliamentary Standing Committees and Joint Parliamentary Committees (e.g., the 2G spectrum JPC).

Ultimately, this dynamic does not eliminate supremacy but produces "executive dominance within a parliamentary framework," shifting Parliament's primary role from direct legislation to critical oversight.

How this answer will be evaluated

Framework: Principle > Institution or Article > Problem with example > Realistic reform

What earns full marks: Clearly explains the mechanism of cabinet supremacy with specific examples and a balanced conclusion.

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

The answer Elucidate how the growth of the cabinet system has in practice marginalised parliamentary supremacy. 10 marks · 150 words

explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close
Must cover
- Constitutional position: Parliament's control through collective responsibility (Article 75(3)), questions, motions, budget; India's Parliament is not sovereign like Britain's but supreme within the Constitution
- Mechanisms of executive dominance: majority and whip, anti-defection law (Tenth Schedule), ordinances (Article 123), delegated legislation, money-bill route, concentration in PMO
- Evidence of decline: fewer sitting days (about 55–70 a year vs over 120 in the 1950s), fewer bills sent to committees (about 16% in the 17th Lok Sabha), bills passed with little debate, guillotined budgets
- Counterpoints and remedies: no-confidence motions, committees, coalition eras, judicial review; reforms such as minimum sittings, mandatory committee scrutiny, stronger opposition and a relaxed anti-defection law
Loses marks
- Treating Parliament as legally sovereign
- No evidence of marginalisation
Earns more
- Bagehot's 'efficient secret' and 'cabinet dictatorship'
- Rajya Sabha's revising role
Extra mark
- Comparison with the UK and Westminster reforms

What "Elucidate" is asking you to do

Make a stated proposition plain and then prove it with instances. Elucidate stems almost always carry a claim or a named concept, and very often the words “with examples” or “with suitable diagrams” — the illustration is part of the directive, not decoration.

Structure that answers it

Plain-language statement of what the proposition means → the part that is obscure, resolved → first illustration → second illustration → why the proposition holds

Where marks are lost

Adding terminology; elucidate rewards removing it. The commoner loss is a clean explanation with no example, when the stem asked for examples.

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