UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Black money in elections hampers democracy, says SC
Q1. As per the Supreme Court's August 2026 directions on unaccounted cash recovered during elections, the authority effecting the seizure must report it within 24 hours to which one of the following?
- A. The Returning Officer of the constituency in which the seizure was effected
- B. The Chief Electoral Officer of the State, for onward transmission to the Commission
- C. The District Magistrate/Additional District Magistrate or the competent court
- D. The Expenditure Observer deputed by the Election Commission of India
Q2. Under the same 2026 directions, the written reasons that must accompany the report of a poll-time cash seizure are required to disclose which one of the following?
- A. That the person from whom the cash was recovered was carrying more than the threshold amount permitted without documents
- B. A prima facie nexus between the seized cash or asset and a suspected electoral offence
- C. The candidate or registered political party to which the seized cash was proposed to be delivered
- D. That the seized amount, if added to the accounts already filed, exceeds the prescribed expenditure ceiling
Q3. Consider the following statements comparing the Election Commission of India with the State Election Commissions and comparing the tenure protections available within the Election Commission of India:
1. Article 324 vests in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, elections to Parliament, to the Legislature of every State, and to the offices of the President and the Vice-President.
2. Elections to panchayats and municipalities are outside the mandate conferred by Article 324, the electoral rolls for such elections being prepared by the respective State Election Commissions.
3. An Election Commissioner other than the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only in the like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Article 324 vests in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, elections to Parliament, to the Legislature of every State, and to the offices of the President and the Vice-President.
- Elections to panchayats and municipalities are outside the mandate conferred by Article 324, the electoral rolls for such elections being prepared by the respective State Election Commissions.
- An Election Commissioner other than the Chief Election Commissioner can be removed from office only in the like manner and on the like grounds as a Judge of the Supreme Court.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. Within the Union Government, which one of the following is the nodal department for matters relating to the Election Commission of India and pending electoral reform proposals?
- A. The Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law and Justice
- B. The Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
- C. The Centre-State Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs
- D. The Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice
Q5. During the 2026 General Elections to State Legislative Assemblies, which one of the following States registered the highest percentage increase in poll-time seizures of inducements over its 2021 figures?
- A. West Bengal
- B. Tamil Nadu
- C. Kerala
- D. Assam
Q6. In the Election Commission of India's enforcement architecture, the Election Seizure Management System (ESMS) is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A mobile application on which any citizen may report the distribution of inducements, with guaranteed action within 100 minutes of the complaint
- B. A portal on which every candidate must file, exclusively in electronic form, a daily statement of election expenditure incurred by the candidate and the party
- C. An information-technology platform enabling real-time sharing of actionable inputs on illicit inducements among enforcement agencies
- D. A centralised register in which all cash, liquor and precious metals seized are permanently retained until the declaration of results
Q7. Under the Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018, which one of the following was the sole institution authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds?
- A. The Reserve Bank of India
- B. The State Bank of India
- C. The Punjab National Bank
- D. The IDBI Bank Limited
Q8. The Electoral Bond Scheme, 2018 was notified by way of a gazette notification issued by which one of the following?
- A. The Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
- B. The Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance
- C. The Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance
- D. The Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice
Q9. Bribery, defined as any gift, offer or promise of gratification to induce a person to vote or refrain from voting, is enumerated as a corrupt practice under which one of the following provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1951?
- A. Section 8A
- B. Section 100(1)(b)
- C. Section 125
- D. Section 123(1)
Q10. Where a person is found guilty of a corrupt practice and the case is submitted for determination of disqualification under the Representation of the People Act, 1951, the period of disqualification shall in no case exceed how many years?
- A. Three years
- B. Five years
- C. Six years
- D. Ten years
Q11. The Law Commission of India's 255th Report on Electoral Reforms, which examined election finance, candidate disclosure and the strengthening of the Election Commission, was submitted to which authority and in which year?
- A. The Ministry of Law and Justice, in 2010
- B. The Ministry of Law and Justice, in 2015
- C. The Election Commission of India, in 2015
- D. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, in 2015
Q12. Consider the following statements comparing three Supreme Court interventions on electoral integrity:
1. In Union of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms (2002), the Court traced the voter's right to know the antecedents of contesting candidates to the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).
2. While striking down the electoral bonds framework in 2024, the Court directed the Reserve Bank of India to furnish to the Election Commission of India the details of the bonds that had been purchased.
3. In its 2026 judgment on unaccounted cash in elections, the Court placed the primary responsibility for ridding the electoral process of black money on the Election Commission of India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- In Union of India v. Association for Democratic Reforms (2002), the Court traced the voter's right to know the antecedents of contesting candidates to the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a).
- While striking down the electoral bonds framework in 2024, the Court directed the Reserve Bank of India to furnish to the Election Commission of India the details of the bonds that had been purchased.
- In its 2026 judgment on unaccounted cash in elections, the Court placed the primary responsibility for ridding the electoral process of black money on the Election Commission of India.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3