UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC mandates insurance on offline railway tickets too

Q1. With reference to the writ jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the High Courts in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Because Article 226 opens with the words 'Notwithstanding anything in article 32', a High Court's writ power displaces that of the Supreme Court in matters arising within the High Court's territory.
  2. Parliament may by law empower a court other than the Supreme Court to exercise the Supreme Court's writ powers within local limits, and such a law correspondingly curtails the Supreme Court's own power in those limits.
  3. The right to move the Supreme Court for enforcement of fundamental rights cannot be suspended except as provided for by the Constitution itself.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • 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 can issue a writ of mandamus to a Government to enforce a legal right that is not a fundamental right.
  2. The Supreme Court's power under Article 32 extends to the enforcement of any legal right, whether or not it is conferred by Part III of the Constitution.
  • 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. A public authority offers accident insurance cover to railway passengers only if they book their tickets online. With reference to Article 14 of the Constitution, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 14 does not forbid all classification; it forbids classification that has no rational basis linked to the purpose of the measure.
  2. Because counter-ticket buyers are mostly poorer passengers, the online-only scheme is valid under Article 14 as a measure of protective discrimination.
  3. If the booking channel has no bearing on the accident risk the cover is meant to address, making it the basis for the cover leaves the scheme open to challenge.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. With reference to Article 14 of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The guarantee of equality before the law extends to any person within the territory of India, including a foreign national.
  2. The guarantee applies only to laws made by a legislature, so a benefit scheme designed by an executive authority falls outside it.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A petition seeking enforcement of railway passengers' right to life after a train accident can be filed directly before the Supreme Court, without first approaching a High Court.
  2. The Constitution guarantees, as a right in itself, the right to move the Supreme Court by appropriate proceedings to enforce the rights conferred by Part III.
  • 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

Q6. Consider the following facts: A writ petition was filed in the Supreme Court after a train accident in Odisha in June 2023. In October 2026, the Court directed that tickets sold at station counters must carry travel insurance identical to online bookings, with effect from a specified date in that month. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. The petitioners invoked a remedy meant for the enforcement of fundamental rights.
  2. Travel insurance has itself been declared a fundamental right that each passenger can enforce in court.
  3. The Court found that the Railways had failed to pay compensation to the victims of the 2023 accident.
  4. The direction governs tickets sold from the specified date onward and does not by itself insure passengers of the 2023 accident.
  • A. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q7. With reference to the Commission of Railway Safety in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. It inspects new railway lines before they are opened for passenger traffic.
  2. Its statutory functions extend to metro railways as well.
  3. It adjudicates the compensation claims of passengers injured in train accidents.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3