📘 Q.7 IAS Prelims 2022 — Polity & Governance: Attorney General & Parliamentary Privileges
🧷 Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📍 The Question:
Consider the following statements:
- Attorney General of India and Solicitor General of India are the only officers of the Government who are allowed to participate in the meetings of the Parliament of India.
- According to the Constitution of India, the Attorney General of India submits his resignation when the Government which appointed him resigns.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
✅ Correct Answer: (d)
🔎 Curiosity Raiser (UPSC trap)
UPSC is testing your ability to distinguish between:
- constitutional provisions, and
- constitutional conventions.
Mixing the two leads to easy elimination errors.
🧠 Core Concept Tested
Article 76 — Attorney General of India: rights, role, and tenure
🔍 Classroom Explanation (UPSC Prelims Focused)
Statement 1 ❌
- Article 76 provides for the office of the Attorney General of India.
- The Attorney General:
- has the right to speak and participate in proceedings of both Houses of Parliament and their committees,
- but has no right to vote.
- The Solicitor General of India:
- is not a constitutional authority, and
- does not have the right to participate in Parliamentary proceedings.
👉 Hence, Statement 1 is incorrect.
Statement 2 ❌
- The Constitution does not prescribe:
- a fixed tenure for the Attorney General, or
- a rule requiring resignation when the Government resigns.
- The Attorney General:
- holds office during the pleasure of the President, and
- may resign voluntarily.
- Resignation upon change of government is a convention, not a constitutional requirement.
👉 Hence, Statement 2 is incorrect.
❌ Why the final answer is (d)
- Both statements are incorrect.
- Therefore, neither 1 nor 2 is correct.
📘 Enrich Notes (Prelims Value Add)
- Article 76 → Attorney General is the highest law officer of India
- Rights of AG → Participate in Parliament, no voting right
- Solicitor General → Executive post, no parliamentary privilege
- Tenure → Pleasure of President; resignation on govt change is convention
📌 Prelims Recall Line
AG’s powers are constitutional; his resignation is conventional.
🧘♂️ IAS Monk Whisper
The Constitution speaks in law;
conventions speak in practice.
