The President and the Vice-President — Question 10
Back to all questionsThe excerpt given below shows which feature of the Indian Constitution: Unitary or Federal? Give a reason to support your answer.
The Raj Bhavan (Kerala), in an official communication, said, "Hon'ble President of India has withheld assent to the following Bills which Hon'ble Governor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan had referred to Rashtrapati Bhavan for consideration. ....Of the seven bills which Governor Arif Mohammed Khan referred to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in November last year, assent has been accorded to only one Bill, namely, Kerala Lokayukta Amendment Bill 2022. Decision on other three Bills is awaited."
— Indian Express February 29, 2024
The excerpt reflects the unitary feature of the Indian Constitution.
Although India has a federal structure, certain provisions in the Constitution give greater authority to the Union Government. One such unitary feature is that the Governor of a State can reserve a Bill passed by the State Legislature for the consideration of the President of India.
The President may give or withhold assent to such Bills, thereby exercising control over State legislation. This indicates that the States are not fully sovereign in their law-making powers, and the ultimate authority lies with the Centre, which is a unitary characteristic of the Constitution.