GK Question

polity medium true_false

Article 360 (Financial Emergency) has never been invoked in Indian constitutional history, reflecting fiscal prudence, federal balance, and preference for cooperative mechanisms over emergency powers.

  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Article 360 non-invocation: (a) Constitutional provision: President may proclaim Financial Emergency if financial stability/credit of India threatened, (b) Historical record: Never invoked since Constitution adoption (1950), (c) Reasons for non-invocation: (i) Fiscal prudence: Union/States managed fiscal challenges through cooperative mechanisms (Finance Commission, GST Council), not Emergency powers, (ii) Federal balance: Preference for negotiated solutions over unilateral Union control, (iii) Political consensus: Avoiding Emergency powers except for genuine existential threats, (d) Alternative mechanisms: (i) Finance Commission: Regular mediation of fiscal claims, (ii) FRBM Acts: Fiscal discipline frameworks for Union/States, (iii) GST Council: Cooperative fiscal federalism for indirect taxation, (e) Illustrates calibrated federalism: Preference for cooperative, negotiated solutions over emergency powers; Financial Emergency as last resort, not first response, to fiscal challenges.

Topic Article 360 - Financial Emergency Never Invoked
Exam Relevance Article 360 non-invocation frequently asked in UPSC and SSC exams
More in polity Back to all questions