UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — SC asks govt. to consider ‘important’ plea against Jantar Mantar as a site of protests
Q1. In the Jantar Mantar observatories built under Sawai Jai Singh II, the 'Brihat Samrat Yantra' denotes which one of the following?
- A. A hemispherical bowl sunk into the ground, with crosswires stretched across it to fix the position of a celestial body
- B. A pair of open cylindrical structures with graduated floors and walls, used to read the altitude and azimuth of a body
- C. A masonry equinoctial sundial about 27 metres high, whose gnomon and quadrants are read to obtain time and celestial position
- D. A composite instrument assembling several devices on one platform, used to obtain meridian time at distant places
Q2. Which one of the following observatories of the Jantar Mantar group is described by UNESCO as the most significant and best preserved set of fixed monumental instruments built in India in the first half of the 18th century, and stands inscribed on the World Heritage List?
- A. The observatory at Delhi, adjoining the colonial-era Parliament Street in the capital
- B. The observatory at Jaipur, in the city founded by Sawai Jai Singh in 1727
- C. The observatory at Ujjain, on the traditional prime meridian of Indian astronomy
- D. The observatory at Varanasi, situated on the terrace above the Ganga ghats
Q3. Under the Constitution of India, on how many grounds may the State impose reasonable restrictions on the right to assemble peaceably and without arms?
- A. Two
- B. Four
- C. Six
- D. Eight
Q4. Consider the following statements comparing the constitutional treatment of the freedom of speech and expression with that of the freedom of assembly:
1. The right to assemble peaceably and without arms is conferred by Article 19(1)(b), while freedom of speech and expression is conferred by Article 19(1)(a).
2. Decency or morality and contempt of court are available as grounds for restricting freedom of speech and expression, but are not among the grounds on which the freedom of assembly may be restricted.
3. In the Shaheen Bagh judgment the Supreme Court held that public ways and public spaces may be occupied indefinitely so long as the assembly remains peaceful and unarmed.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The right to assemble peaceably and without arms is conferred by Article 19(1)(b), while freedom of speech and expression is conferred by Article 19(1)(a).
- Decency or morality and contempt of court are available as grounds for restricting freedom of speech and expression, but are not among the grounds on which the freedom of assembly may be restricted.
- In the Shaheen Bagh judgment the Supreme Court held that public ways and public spaces may be occupied indefinitely so long as the assembly remains peaceful and unarmed.
- A. 1 only
- B. 1 and 2 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q5. Consider the following statements regarding the shift of Delhi's principal protest venue from the Boat Club lawns to Jantar Mantar:
1. The Boat Club lawns ceased to be available to demonstrators in the early 1990s, after which Jantar Mantar emerged as the capital's designated protest site.
2. The largest agitation held at the Boat Club before its closure to protesters was the 1988 peasant mobilisation led by Mahendra Singh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
3. The National Green Tribunal's prohibition on dharnas at Jantar Mantar was affirmed by the Supreme Court, which upheld a permanent bar on demonstrations at the site.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Boat Club lawns ceased to be available to demonstrators in the early 1990s, after which Jantar Mantar emerged as the capital's designated protest site.
- The largest agitation held at the Boat Club before its closure to protesters was the 1988 peasant mobilisation led by Mahendra Singh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
- The National Green Tribunal's prohibition on dharnas at Jantar Mantar was affirmed by the Supreme Court, which upheld a permanent bar on demonstrations at the site.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q6. Consider the following pairs of Delhi venues and the events or orders associated with them:
1. Boat Club lawns — venue of the 1988 farmers' agitation led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union
2. Jantar Mantar — site on which the National Green Tribunal in 2017 barred dharnas and the use of loudspeakers
3. Ramlila Maidan — venue of the 2011 fast held in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill
4. India Gate lawns — site which the Supreme Court in 2018 directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to designate as the city's exclusive protest ground
Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?
- Boat Club lawns — venue of the 1988 farmers' agitation led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union
- Jantar Mantar — site on which the National Green Tribunal in 2017 barred dharnas and the use of loudspeakers
- Ramlila Maidan — venue of the 2011 fast held in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill
- India Gate lawns — site which the Supreme Court in 2018 directed the Delhi Police Commissioner to designate as the city's exclusive protest ground
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 2 and 4
- C. 1, 2 and 4
- D. 4 only
Q7. In the public interest litigation which the Supreme Court agreed on 3 August 2026 to examine, what was the principal ground urged for discontinuing Jantar Mantar as the ordinary venue for demonstrations?
- A. Breach of ambient noise standards and other environmental norms by loudspeakers and prolonged dharnas at the site
- B. Structural strain on the 18th-century masonry instruments of the observatory caused by large gatherings
- C. Recurring obstruction of ingress and egress in the locality and of the supply of medical essentials to residents
- D. The site's proximity to Parliament House, which makes unauthorised marches towards the legislature difficult to contain
Q8. The plea concerning the continuance of Jantar Mantar as a protest venue was taken up in August 2026 by a Bench of the Supreme Court comprising how many judges?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Five
- D. Seven
Q9. Ramlila Maidan, the large Delhi ground proposed as an alternative venue for mass demonstrations, is administered by which one of the following bodies?
- A. The New Delhi Municipal Council, the civic authority for the central administrative area of the capital
- B. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi, whose mayor decides its allotment for events and gatherings
- C. The Delhi Development Authority, the land-owning agency for planned development in the capital
- D. The Archaeological Survey of India, the custodian of centrally protected monuments and their precincts
Q10. The Cockroach Janta Party, whose agitation at Jantar Mantar is cited in the 2026 petition, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A registered political party floated by student unions to contest municipal elections in the capital on an education-reform platform
- B. A federation of coaching-centre associations campaigning against irregularities in national competitive examinations
- C. A front of retired educationists formed to petition the higher judiciary against the use of force on student demonstrators
- D. An unregistered, internet-driven youth collective that took its name from a disparaging judicial remark about Indian youth in May 2026
Q11. How many of the Law Officers of the Union Government are provided for expressly by the Constitution of India?
- A. One
- B. Two
- C. Three
- D. Four
Q12. In the National Capital Territory of Delhi, executive competence over 'public order' and 'police' — under which permission for demonstrations is regulated — vests in which one of the following?
- A. The Council of Ministers of the Government of NCT of Delhi, acting through its Home Department
- B. The Legislative Assembly of Delhi, which may legislate on these subjects under Article 239AA of the Constitution
- C. The Union Government, acting through the Lieutenant Governor as the delegate of the President
- D. The municipal authorities of Delhi, within their respective territorial jurisdictions