Daily Challenge
Thursday, 29 October 2026
Daily Challenge — 29 October 2026
Week 4 of Mission CGPSC 2027 · Courts & Crowns — Judiciary, state government and federal relations; British rule, princely states and the freedom movement in Chhattisgarh. See the full plan.
Judiciary
In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court strike down clauses (4) and (5) of Article 368, inserted by the 42nd Amendment, and hold that judicial review and a limited amending power are part of the basic structure?
Minerva Mills (1980) struck down Article 368(4) and (5), which had tried to bar judicial review of constitutional amendments, and held that limited amending power and judicial review are basic features. Golaknath (1967) held Fundamental Rights unamendable; Waman Rao (1981) fixed the 24 April 1973 cut-off for Ninth Schedule laws; I.R. Coelho (2007) applied the basic structure test to post-1973 Ninth Schedule laws.
British Rule, Princely States and Zamindaris
The fixed tribute paid by the zamindars of Chhattisgarh under Maratha and British rule was known as:
Chhattisgarh’s zamindars, mostly chiefs of the hilly and forested fringe, paid a fixed tribute called takoli instead of a full land-revenue assessment. Chauth and sardeshmukhi were Maratha levies on other territories, not the Chhattisgarh zamindari tribute.
Reading Comprehension
Read the passage (an original practice passage) and answer the question.
In villages where the Gram Sabha met regularly and read out the list of works and payments aloud, fewer complaints about incomplete works reached the block office.
Consider the following statements:
- In the villages described, regular Gram Sabha meetings with public reading of accounts were associated with fewer complaints reaching the block office.
- Public reading of accounts has eliminated incomplete works in these villages.
- The passage proves that regular meetings were the only cause of the fall in complaints.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 restates the association at the passage’s own scope and strength, so it is a valid inference. Statement 2 turns ‘fewer complaints’ into ’eliminated incomplete works’, which is both stronger and about a different thing. Statement 3 converts an association into sole causation (‘only cause’), which the passage does not establish. Hence 1 only.