The Governor of a state may exercise discretionary powers when 1. he

The Governor of a state may exercise discretionary powers when

  • 1. he or she is not convinced by the advice of the Council of Ministers
  • 2. the Constitution requires him/her to act in his/her discretion in certain matters
  • 3. he or she is appointed as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

1, 2 and 3
1 and 2 only
2 and 3 only
3 only
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CAPF – 2020
The correct option is A, as the Governor may exercise discretionary powers in all three mentioned situations.
– Statement 1 is correct: While generally bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers, the Governor may use discretion in situations where the advice is not available or when they need to assess the political situation, such as selecting a Chief Minister when no single party has a clear majority, or dismissing a ministry that has lost confidence of the house. These actions can be described as the Governor acting when not convinced by the viability or constitutionality of the existing arrangement or advice.
– Statement 2 is correct: Article 163(1) explicitly states that the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers “except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion”. There are several such specific requirements under the Constitution (e.g., reserving a bill for the President’s consideration under Article 200, recommending President’s Rule under Article 356 in case of breakdown of constitutional machinery).
– Statement 3 is correct: As per Article 239(2), when a Governor of a state is appointed as the administrator of an adjoining Union Territory, he exercises his functions as administrator independently of his Council of Ministers, i.e., in his discretion or on the advice of an Administrator’s Council if one exists.
The discretionary powers of the Governor are a significant feature of the Indian federal system, allowing the Governor to act independently of the state government in certain specific circumstances as defined by the Constitution or evolving political conventions. However, the exercise of discretionary powers has often been a subject of controversy and judicial review.