Consider the following statements : I. The Constitution of India explicitly mentions that in certain spheres the Governor of a State acts in his/her own discretion. II. The President of India can, of his/her own, reserve a bill passed by a State Legislature for his/her consideration without it being forwarded by the Governor of the State concerned. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement I is correct because Article 163 of the Constitution explicitly mentions that the Governor shall exercise certain functions in his/her discretion, a provision that does not exist for the President. Statement II is incorrect because, under Article 200, it is the Governor who reserves a bill for the President's consideration; the President has no constitutional authority to unilaterally reserve a state bill without it being forwarded by the Governor. The core concept being tested is the constitutional distinction between the discretionary powers of the Governor versus the President and the specific legislative procedure for state bills.