UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Thirupparankundram row: SC agrees to hear T.N.’s plea, but refuses interim relief

Q1. The power of the State to make a law regulating or restricting any economic, financial, political or other secular activity which may be associated with religious practice is expressly conferred by which one of the following?

  • A. Article 25(2)(a)
  • B. Article 25(2)(b)
  • C. Article 26(d)
  • D. Article 27

Q2. With reference to Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Article 25 guarantees freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practise and propagate religion, subject to public order, morality and health.
  2. The rights under Article 26 are available to every religious denomination or any section thereof.
  3. Article 26 vests in a religious denomination an absolute right to administer its property, unfettered by any law.
  4. The right of a religious denomination to manage its own affairs in matters of religion is itself subject to public order, morality and health.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 2 and 4

Q3. With reference to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 and its administration, consider the following: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The prohibited area extends to a distance of one hundred metres in all directions from the protected limit of a centrally protected monument.
  2. The regulated area begins at the limit of the prohibited area and extends a further two hundred metres in all directions.
  3. The Archaeological Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
  4. Clearance for construction falling within the regulated limits of a centrally protected monument is obtained from the National Monuments Authority through an online NOC application and processing system.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 4
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q4. With reference to the regulation of centrally protected monuments in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Archaeological Survey of India was established in 1904 and is the principal organisation for archaeological research and the protection of monuments of national importance.
  2. In a prohibited area, repair and renovation of an existing building may be permitted by the Competent Authority on the recommendation of the National Monuments Authority.
  3. The Act permits fresh construction within the prohibited area of a centrally protected monument as a matter of right.
  4. Monuments declared to be of national importance are protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 1 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 2 and 3

Q5. Consider the following statements comparing the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court under Article 136 with that of a High Court under Articles 226 and 227: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Article 136 confers a discretionary power to grant special leave to appeal against any judgment or order passed by any court or tribunal in the territory of India, whereas Article 226 is exercised as original jurisdiction of the High Court.
  2. Article 136 expressly excludes judgments or orders passed by any court or tribunal constituted by or under any law relating to the Armed Forces.
  3. A proceeding under Article 227 is supervisory in character, unlike a writ under Article 226, which is issued in the exercise of original jurisdiction.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. With reference to the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. An appeal from a High Court in a matter involving a substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution lies under Article 132.
  2. An appeal from a High Court in a civil proceeding lies under Article 133.
  3. An appeal from a High Court in a criminal proceeding lies under Article 134.
  4. The Supreme Court's power to report its opinion on a question of law referred by the President under Article 143 is a species of its appellate jurisdiction.
  • A. 2 only
  • B. 1 and 4
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q7. In January 2026 the Supreme Court issued notice on a petition filed by the Hindu Dharma Parishad concerning the Thirupparankundram Subramaniya Swamy Temple, which sought that a lamp be maintained atop the 'Deepathoon' at all times. The petition asked that control of the temple be handed over to which one of the following?

  • A. The National Monuments Authority under the Ministry of Culture
  • B. The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu
  • C. The Archaeological Survey of India
  • D. The Tamil Nadu State Waqf Board

Q8. In the context of the Thirupparankundram litigation, the 'Deepathoon' is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A free-standing stone pillar atop the hillock, adjacent to a dargah
  • B. The rock-cut shrine at the foot of the hillock where the Karthigai lamp is customarily lit
  • C. The fourteenth-century memorial on the hillock to the last ruler of the Madurai Sultanate
  • D. The gazette notification demarcating the ASI-protected extent of the hillock

Q9. Consider the following statements comparing the Waqf Act, 1995 with the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under the 1995 Act surveys of waqf properties were conducted by Survey Commissioners, whereas the 2025 amendment assigns the survey function to Collectors in accordance with State revenue laws.
  2. Under the 1995 Act a decision of the Waqf Tribunal was final and appeals to courts were barred, whereas the 2025 amendment permits an appeal to the High Court within thirty days.
  3. Whereas the 1995 Act required the membership of the Central Waqf Council to be drawn entirely from the Muslim community, the 2025 amendment requires two members of the Council to be non-Muslims.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q10. Which one of the following best describes the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of Tamil Nadu?

  • A. An autonomous statutory corporation that owns all Hindu temples in the State and is exempt from State government control
  • B. A field wing of the Union Ministry of Culture that regulates all Hindu religious endowments in the southern States
  • C. A State government department administering Hindu religious institutions and endowments under a State Act of 1959
  • D. A judicial tribunal exercising exclusive and final jurisdiction over every dispute concerning temple property in the State