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B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) Sem 3 Political Science (Major World Governments) 2023 Sep Question Paper with Solutions

KSLU Solved Question Papers

Political Science (Major World Governments)

Previous Year Question Paper with Solution

B.A. LL.B. (Five Years) · Sem 3

2023 Sep Examination

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Mumbai

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First published on munotes.in on 21 October 2026.

Published by munotes.in, Mumbai.

Model answers written and edited by the munotes.in editorial desk.

Passages from this volume may be quoted, in print, online or by an AI system, with credit: name munotes.in and link to this volume's page. The volume may not be reproduced as a whole. Full terms at munotes.in/content-license.

munotes.in is an independent study resource for students of Karnataka State Law University. It is not affiliated with Karnataka State Law University, and is not endorsed by it.

The University does not publish an official answer key for this paper. The answers in this volume are model answers, written to show how a full-mark answer is built. They are a study aid, not an authority on what an examiner marked.

The question paper reproduced here is the paper as set by Karnataka State Law University at the 2023 Sep examination.

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Contents

The questions below are the paper as Karnataka State Law University set it at the 2023 Sep examination, in the order it was set.

MarksPage

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MarksPage

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The Paper as Set

The questions in this volume are the questions asked at the 2023 Sep examination, reproduced as Karnataka State Law University set them, in the order it set them. Long reading passages are shortened to their first and last lines and our summary; the original paper prints them in full. Only the answers are ours. See the original question paper.

Duration 3 hours  ·  Total marks 80  ·  20 questions answered

Instructions printed on the paper

  • N.B. (1) Answer all five Units. (2) One essay type question and one short note is compulsory from each Unit. (3) Figures to the right indicate marks. (4) Answer should be written either in English or Kannada completely.

How to use this volume

Solve the paper first, under exam conditions and against the clock. Then read the answers here and mark your own. Reading a solution before attempting the question feels productive and teaches very little, because recognising an answer is not the same as being able to write one.

Read the original question paper

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Q1

Unit I

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(a)Explain the powers and functions of the Parliament of U.K.[10]

Answer

For full marks, cover: Parliament as the sovereign legislature (Dicey); its legislative powers (any law, constitutional change, delegated legislation); financial powers and the Commons' primacy (Parliament Act 1911); control of the executive (confidence, questions, select committees, debates, ministerial responsibility); treaties (Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010); deliberative and representative functions; its former judicial function; the modern limits (Jackson, the Human Rights Act, Miller); a conclusion.

Introduction

The Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the King, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It is the supreme law-making body. Dicey stated the principle of parliamentary sovereignty as Parliament's "right to make or unmake any law whatever", with no person or body able "to override or set aside the legislation of Parliament". Its powers and functions follow from this position.

1. Legislative powers

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  1. Any law on any subject. Parliament can legislate on any matter. No court can declare an Act of Parliament invalid.
  2. Changing the constitution. Because there is no written constitution, Parliament changes the constitution by ordinary Act. The Human Rights Act 1998, the devolution Acts and the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 were all passed in the ordinary way.
  3. Delegated legislation. Parliament gives ministers power to make detailed rules by statutory instrument and keeps the right to approve or annul many of them.
  4. The process. A public bill passes through first reading, second reading, committee stage, report stage and third reading in each House, and then receives Royal Assent.

2. Financial powers

  1. No tax may be levied and no public money spent without Parliament's authority.
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  1. The House of Commons has primacy in finance. Under the Parliament Act 1911, a money bill becomes law if the Lords do not pass it within one month of receiving it (s.1). The Speaker decides what is a money bill (s.1(2)).
  2. The Commons votes the Government's spending estimates and examines the accounts through its Public Accounts Committee.

3. Control of the executive

  1. Confidence. The Government stays in office only while it has the confidence of the Commons. James Callaghan's Government lost a vote of no confidence on 28 March 1979 by 311 votes to 310, and an election followed.
  2. Questions. Ministers answer oral and written questions, including weekly Prime Minister's Questions.
  3. Select committees. Committees shadow each government department, take evidence from ministers and officials, and publish reports.
  4. Debates and motions test Government policy in public.
  5. Ministerial responsibility. Ministers answer to Parliament, collectively for the Government and individually for their departments.
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4. Treaties

Treaty-making belongs to the Crown, but Parliament now has a statutory say. Under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, s.20, a treaty must first be laid before Parliament. It may not be ratified until 21 sitting days pass without either House resolving against it. If the Commons resolves against ratification, the Government must lay a statement and a further period must pass.

5. Deliberative and representative functions

Parliament is the national forum of debate. MPs raise their constituents' grievances, and both Houses debate the great questions of the day. The Commons reflects the electorate, while the Lords contributes expert revision of bills.

6. The former judicial function

Until 2009 the House of Lords, through its Appellate Committee, was the highest court of appeal. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 transferred this to the new Supreme Court (s.23). Each House still punishes breaches of its own privileges.

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7. Relations between the two Houses

The Commons is the stronger House. Besides money bills, the Parliament Acts let it pass other public bills without the Lords after rejection in two successive sessions. In Jackson v. Attorney General, [2005] UKHL 56, the House of Lords upheld both the Parliament Act 1949 and the Hunting Act 2004 passed under it: "The 1949 Act and the 2004 Act are Acts of Parliament of full legal effect."

Modern limits on Parliament's powers

  1. Human rights. Courts must read Acts compatibly with Convention rights where possible (Human Rights Act 1998, s.3). If impossible, the higher courts may declare an incompatibility (s.4), though the Act remains valid.
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  1. Devolution. Westminster keeps full power, but by the Sewel convention it does not normally legislate on devolved matters without consent.
  2. Judicial protection of Parliament's own role. In R (Miller) v. Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, [2017] UKSC 5, the Supreme Court held that only an Act of Parliament could start withdrawal from the European Union. "Parliamentary sovereignty is a fundamental principle of the UK constitution." In R (Miller) v. The Prime Minister, [2019] UKSC 41, it held a five-week prorogation unlawful because it stopped Parliament from performing its functions.

Conclusion. The Parliament of the United Kingdom is legally sovereign. It makes and unmakes any law, changes the constitution by ordinary Act and controls taxation and spending, with the Commons supreme in finance. It sustains and checks the Government through confidence votes, questions and select committees, and it has a statutory role in treaties. Its old judicial role passed to the Supreme Court in 2009. Human rights law and devolution shape how it uses its power. But the two Miller cases show the courts protecting, not limiting, Parliament's central place in the constitution.

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