UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — HC permits IVF procedure for soldier in vegetative state

Q1. With reference to the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 and the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. ART services may be availed by a woman aged between 21 and 50 years, whereas under the Surrogacy Act the intending mother (wife) must be between 23 and 50 years.
  2. The Surrogacy Act, 2021 permits only altruistic surrogacy and prohibits commercial surrogacy, while the ART Act regulates ART clinics and banks.
  3. Under the ART Act, written informed consent is required only from the woman seeking ART services and not from the gamete donor.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 is administered by which one of the following nodal ministries of the Government of India?

  • A. Ministry of Women and Child Development
  • B. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  • C. Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
  • D. Ministry of Law and Justice

Q3. In which one of the following cases did the Supreme Court of India hold that a woman's right to make reproductive choices is a dimension of personal liberty under Article 21?

  • A. Aruna Ramchandra Shanbaug v. Union of India (2011)
  • B. Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration (2009)
  • C. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997)
  • D. Shayara Bano v. Union of India (2017)

Q4. With reference to the evolution of reproductive-rights jurisprudence under Article 21, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (2017) recognised decisional autonomy, including the choice whether to bear a child, as part of the right to privacy.
  2. Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration (2009) held a woman's reproductive choices to be a dimension of personal liberty under Article 21.
  3. In Puttaswamy, the Supreme Court held that privacy is merely a common-law right and not a fundamental right.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. The 2026 Delhi High Court order permitting continuation of IVF for the Army soldier in a persistent vegetative state was passed by a Bench comprising how many judges?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. Five

Q6. With reference to the 2026 Delhi High Court order in the case of the soldier in a persistent vegetative state, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The soldier was in a persistent vegetative state with no reasonable likelihood of near-term neurological recovery.
  2. The soldier suffered a traumatic brain injury during patrol duty in Jammu and Kashmir in July 2025.
  3. The Court held that reproductive autonomy is a fundamental right which the ART Act must be interpreted to further.
  4. The Court ruled that fresh written consent from the incapacitated soldier was mandatory and could under no circumstances be substituted.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q7. With reference to the medico-legal distinction between persistent vegetative state (PVS) and brain-stem death in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Persistent vegetative state is legally equated with death under Indian law, identical to brain-stem death.
  2. Brain-stem death is recognised as legal death in India under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994.
  3. A person in a persistent vegetative state retains sleep-wake cycles but lacks awareness of self and surroundings.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. With reference to persistent vegetative state and brain-stem death in Indian law, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Brain-stem death involves the permanent and irreversible cessation of all functions of the brain-stem.
  2. The Aruna Shanbaug case (2011) permitted passive euthanasia for patients in a permanent vegetative state under judicial supervision.
  3. Certification of brain-stem death under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act enables organ donation.
  4. A patient in a persistent vegetative state invariably has no brain-stem function and is therefore always legally dead.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q9. Which one of the following is the apex advisory authority at the central level for regulating both surrogacy and assisted reproductive technology services in India?

  • A. The Appropriate Authority
  • B. The National Board
  • C. The National ART and Surrogacy Registry
  • D. The State Board

Q10. Under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, the registration granted to a clinic providing surrogacy procedures is valid for how many years?

  • A. Two years
  • B. Three years
  • C. Five years
  • D. Ten years

Q11. With reference to Indian judicial treatment of posthumous reproduction, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Delhi High Court (Justice Pratibha M. Singh) held that there is no prohibition on posthumous reproduction under prevailing Indian law where the deceased's prior consent is demonstrated.
  2. That case concerned the frozen sperm of a man who had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, sought by his parents.
  3. The court held that posthumous reproduction is expressly barred by the ART (Regulation) Act, 2021.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. With reference to the welfare and disability-benefits framework for Indian armed forces personnel, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Disability Pension comprises a Service Element and a Disability Element.
  2. War Injury Pension is granted for disability attributable to war or battle conditions.
  3. Disability pension of armed forces personnel is exempt from income tax.
  4. Disability pensions of soldiers were abolished and fully replaced by the National Pension System in 2023.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 2 and 3