UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC to hear Punjab’s plea against CBI probe linked to CM’s office

Q1. State X has withdrawn the general consent it had given to the CBI. While hearing a public interest litigation, the High Court of State X directs the CBI to investigate corruption allegations against functionaries of the State Government. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The direction is not invalid merely because State X has not consented, since the statutory consent requirement does not limit a constitutional court's power to entrust an investigation to the CBI.
  2. The CBI can act on the direction only after State X issues a consent order specific to this case.
  3. The Central Government could equally have entrusted this case to the CBI without State X's consent by issuing a notification extending the jurisdiction of the Delhi Special Police Establishment to State X.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A High Court may direct the CBI to investigate an offence in a State that has withdrawn its general consent to the CBI.
  2. Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 itself exempts investigations directed by a court from the requirement of State consent.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Central Vigilance Commission's superintendence over the CBI extends only to the investigation of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
  2. Because the ED often looks into matters that the CBI also investigates, the ED too must obtain a State's consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 before acting in that State.
  3. The ED's powers to search, seize and arrest in money-laundering cases flow from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act itself, not from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q4. With reference to the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A dispute qualifies under Article 131 only if it involves a question on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends.
  2. A private citizen may bring an Article 131 suit against the Union over a question affecting Centre–State relations.
  3. Article 131 jurisdiction extends to disputes arising out of pre-Constitution treaties or sanads that continue in operation.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q5. In 2018, West Bengal withdrew the general consent it had given to the CBI. It later filed an original suit against the Union under Article 131, alleging that the CBI continued to register cases in the State. The Union opposed the suit, arguing that it did not control the CBI. In July 2024, the Supreme Court held the suit maintainable and directed that it proceed on its merits. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The Court accepted that the dispute raised a question on which the existence or extent of a legal right of the State depends.
  2. The Court did not accept the Union's objection as a bar to the suit at the threshold.
  3. The ruling settled that the cases the CBI registered in the State after the withdrawal of consent were unlawful.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. A State Government wants to contest, before the Supreme Court, a High Court order passed in a PIL that directs the CBI to investigate allegations against the State's executive. Which jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is the State most appropriately invoking?

  • A. Its exclusive original jurisdiction over federal disputes under Article 131
  • B. Its advisory jurisdiction on questions referred under Article 143
  • C. Its writ jurisdiction to enforce fundamental rights under Article 32
  • D. Its discretionary power to grant special leave to appeal under Article 136