As wealth distribution dominates news headlines in India, the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday began hearing an unrelated case about whether the government can acquire and redistribute privately owned properties if they are deemed as “material resources of the community” — as mentioned in the of the Constitution.

It places an obligation on the state to create policy towards securing “the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good”.

Since 1977, the apex court has weighed in on the interpretation of the Article on multiple occasions — most notably, in State of Karnataka v Shri Ranganatha Reddy (1977). This case saw a seven-judge Bench, by a 4:3 majority, holding that privately owned resources did not fall within the ambit of “material resources of the community”.

Source – https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/expl

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Passage 2

Defence chiefs from the U.S., and some other nations vowed to deepen their cooperation as they gathered on Thursday for their joint meeting amid concerns about China’s operations in the South China Sea.

The meeting came after the four countries last month held their first joint naval exercises in the South China Sea, a major shipping route where Beijing has long-simmering territorial disputes with a number of Southeast Asian nations and has caused alarm with its recent assertiveness in the waters.

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at a news conference after their discussion that the drills strengthened the ability of the nations to work together, build bonds among their forces and underscore their shared commitment to international law in the waterway.

Source- https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/defence-c

4th MAY 2024

First Name

Passage 1

1. The question raised before the Court is whether private properties can be considered "material resources of the community" under Article ___ of the Constitution.

A. 39 (b)

B. 39 (d)

C. 41 (c)

D. 41 (d)

2. The Property Owners’ Association in Mumbai challenged the MHADA at the Bombay High Court claiming that the provisions violate the property owners’ Right to Equality under which Article of the Constitution?

A. 13

B. 14

C. 15

D. 16

3. Which of this is incorrect?

A. Articles 19(1)(f) and Article 31: This article guaranteed the property as a fundamental right.

B. However, the 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 removed this right from the list of fundamental rights and placed it under Article 300A as a constitutional right.

C. Article 300A: This article declares that no person shall be deprived of his property save by authority of law.

D. None

4. 9th Schedule: It lists specific laws that cannot be challenged in courts on the grounds that they violate fundamental rights, including the (once) Fundamental Right to Property. It was added by which Amendment Act?

A. 1st

B. 9th

C. 24th

D. 44th

5. Other than the Fundamental Rights, which of the following parts of the Constitution of India reflect/ reflects the principles and provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)? 1. Preamble 2. Directive Principles of State Policy 3. Fundamental Duties Select the correct answer using the code given below:

A. 1 and 2 only

B. 2 only

C. 1 and 3 only

D. 1, 2 and 3

Passage 2

6.This meet was their ___-ever joint meeting amid concerns about China's operations in the South China Sea.

A. First

B. Second

C. Third

D. Fourth

7.Defence chiefs from these countries vowed to deepen their cooperation as they gathered on Thursday in?

A. Hawaii

B. Tokyo

C. Seoul

D. None

8. Which of this was not one of the 4 countries of the meet?

A. Philippines

B. Australia

C. South Korea

D. Japan

9.Under the UNCLOS, each state can establish a territorial sea of up to 12 nautical miles and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending up to how many nautical miles from the territorial sea baseline?

A. 100

B. 200

C. 300

D. 400

10. Which of this is incorrect?

A. The South China Sea is bordered by China and Taiwan to the north, the Indo-Chinese peninsula (including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore) to the west, Indonesia and Brunei to the south, and the Philippines to the east (referred to as the West Philippine Sea).

B. It is connected by the Taiwan Strait with the East China Sea and by the Luzon Strait with the Philippine Sea (both marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean).

C. Both

D. None