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PETITIONER: HAR SHARAN VERMA

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: STATE  OF  U.P. & ANR.

DATE OF JUDGMENT10/01/1985

BENCH: VENKATARAMIAH, E.S. (J) BENCH: VENKATARAMIAH, E.S. (J) MADON, D.P.

CITATION:  1985 AIR  282            1985 SCR  (2) 547  1985 SCC  (2)  48        1985 SCALE  (1)15

ACT:       Constitution   of  India, Article  164  and    Article 173(a) (as   amended  by Constitution  (Sixteenth) Amendment Act, (1963)-  Effect   of   amended Article 173(a)- A person not   a   member   of State   Legislature-Whether    can  be appointed as a Minister  in  a State even after amendment of Article 173(a).Held: Yes

HEADNOTE:      Through   this   petition filed  under Article   32  of the Constitution   the  petitioner prayed for the issue of a writ   in the  nature of quo worranto to the respondent K.P. Tewari who   had  been appointed  in  November,  1984  as  a Minister of  the   Government of Uttar Pradesh under Article 164(1) of the Constitution by  the Governor  of the State of Uttar Pradesh even though  Shri  Tewari was  not a member of either House  of the  State   Legislature.   The  petitioner contended   (i)  that in the judgment  of  Har  Sharan Verma v. Shri  Tribhuvan Narain  Singh, Chief Minister of U.P. and Anr.,   (AIR  1971  S.C. 1331) where it had been  held  that the appointment  of a  person as Chief Minister could not be challenged on   the  ground that  he was not a member of the Legislature   of   a State  at the time of appointment, this Court had  not   considered the   effect of the amendment of Article 173  (a) of  the   Constitution  by the Constitution (Sixteenth) Amendment  Act,   1963;   (ii) that   after  the amendment of  Article 173  of the    Constitution    by  the Constitution (Sixteenth)  Amendment Act,  1963  it  was  not open to   the  Governor to  appoint a  person who  was not a member of   the  Legislature of  the State as a Minister and that Article  164(4) of  the   Constitution   would only  be applicable to  a person   who   had  been a Minister but who ceased to  be a  member of  the  Legislature for some reason such as  the setting  aside of his election in  any election petition; and  (iii) that  the debates  of the   Constituent Assembly suggested  that a  person should be a member of the Legislature at the time of his being chosen as a Minister.       Dismissing  the  petition, ^      HELD:   (I)   By   the Sixteenth Amendment  clause  (a) of Article   173  of the  Constitution  is  amended  by  the addition of   a  clause which  requires a  candidate  at  an

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election to  the   Legislature to  make and subscribe before some person  authorised in   that  behalf  by  the  Election Commission an oath or affirmation 548 according to  the form  set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule   to the  Constitution. Earlier it was only after a person   was elected   or  nominated  as  a  member  of  the Legislature of   a   State  that  he was required by Article 188 of  the Constitution  to  make and  subscribe an oath or affirmation before  taking his  seat  as such  member in the form mentioned  in the Third Schedule  to  the Constitution. The above  requirement has to be complied with by an elected or nominated member of the State Legislature even  after the Sixteenth Amendment. [550H; 551A; E;H]             (2)  The object of introducing the amendment  in clause (a)   of  Article 173  of  the  Constitution  was  to provide   that   not only   before   taking his seat shall a member of   the   Legislature  take  the  oath prescribed by the Third  Schedule as   required   by  Article 188  of  the Constitution but  that even  before standing for election, a candidate must  take the  same oath.  This is to ensure that only a  person having allegiance to India shall be  eligible for membership of the Legislature. [552C-D]            (3)  Article  177, ensures the implementation  of the constitutional  principle contained  in  clause  (2)  of Article   164 of   the Constitution which provides that  the Council of   Ministers  shall be collectively responsible to the Legislative   Assembly   of  the State.  A Minister in a State  under     our     Constitution   discharges      that responsibility by  virtue of  the  provisions  contained  in Article 177  of the  Constitution which  enables   him    to participate in  the proceedings  of the Legislative Assembly even though  he may  not be  its member  with the  right  to vote.[553F;G]              (4)  It does not appear that the debates of the constituent Assembly suggest that a person shall be a member of the   Legislature  at the  time of  his being chosen as a Minister. An   amendment  was proposed to that effect in the Constituent Assembly  to the  draft Constitution but was not accepted:                                               [553H; 554A-C]              (5) The fear expressed by the petitioner that a person who   does not owe his allegiance to the Constitution and is  not willing   to  uphold   the    sovereignty    and integrity of  India  would  have  an opportunity to become a Minister if  he is  not  required to become a  member of the Legislature after  having made  and subscribed   an  oath or affirmation  as   prescribed  by   Article  173(a)   of  the Constitution   is not  well founded because under clause (3) of  Article 164  of  the Constitution a Minister for a State is   required   to take    an  oath  of  allegiance  to  the Constitution and  to  undertake to  uphold his office in the from prescribed in the Third  Schedule.                                                     [554C-E]             (6) No material change has been brought about by reason  of   the  amendment   of  Article   173(a)  of   the Constitution in   the  legal  position  that a person who is not a member  of  the  State Legislature may be appointed as a Minister  subject, of course, to clause (4) of Article 164 of the  Constitution according  to  which a Minister who for any period  of six  consecutive months  is not  a member  of the Legislature  of the  State shall  at the   expiration of that period cease to be a Minister. [554H; 555A]           (7) By enacting Article 164(4) of the Constitution the makers   of  the  Constitution provided for a  situation

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where  a Minister may lose a seat in the 549 Legislature after  appointment-as the  result of an election petition for  example- A  Or may  not be a member when he is appointed.[555B-C]       Har Sharan Verma v. Shri Tribhuvan Narain Singh, Chief Minister   of   U.P. and  Anr.,  A.I.R.  1971  S.C.    1331, Constitution Assembly  Debates dated  June 1 1949, Vol. VIII at p. 521 and Har Sharan Verma v. Chandra Bhan Gupta & Ors., A.l.R. 1962  Allahabad 30], referred to.

JUDGMENT:            ORIGINAL  JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (Civil) No. 17135 of 1984.       (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India)       Har Sharan Verma: Petitioner in person.       The Judgment of the Court was delivered by        VENKATRAMIAH,   J.  The  petitioner  has  filed  this petition under   Article  32 of the Constitution praying for the issue  of   a writ  in the nature of quo warranto to the respondent K.P.    Tewari  who    has    been  appointed  in November, 1984  as a  Minister   of  the Government of Uttar Pradesh under  Article 164  (1) of  the  Constitution by the Governor of  the State  of Uttar  Pradesh even    though  he (K.P.   Tewari) is  not a  member of  either House  of   the State Legislature.       The   petitioner   who  claims to  be  a  votary    of pristine  democracy    and  constitutionalism  and  crusader against any   person  who  has not been elected to the State Legislature   assuming   the office of a Minister has argued this case  in person  with unabated enthusiasm. It is stated that this  is the  ninth in  the series  of cases  filed  by him over  a period of twenty-five  years  in  his attempt to prevent erosion  of  the  Executive  responsibility  to  the Legislature.       In   Har   Sharan  Verma v.  Shri   Tribhuvan   Narain Singh, Chief   Minister   of  U.P. &  Anr.(l) which had been filed   by  the petitioner  himself, a Constitution Bench of this Court  has   held that  the  appointment of a person as Chief  Minister  cannot  be challenged on the ground that he was not  a member  of the Legislature of a State at the time of appointment.  The grievance  of   the petitioner  against that   Judgment is that this  Court  had  not considered the effect  of  the  amendment  of  Article  173  (a)  of    the constitution by  the Constitution (Sixteenth) Amendment Act, 1963.       (1) A.I.R. 1971 S.C. 1331. 550      The petitioner  contends more  pointedly in  this  case that  after     the     amendment  of  Article  173  of  the Constitution   by   the Constitution   (Sixteenth) Amendment Act, 1963,  it is  not open  to the  Governor  to  appoint a person who  is not  a   member   of  the Legislature  of the State as  a Minister  and that  Article  164    (4)  of  the Constitution would  only be  applicable to a person who  has been a  Minister but  who ceases  to  be  a  member  of  the Legislature for some reason such as the setting aside of his election in  any election petition.        Article     173   before  it  was  amended  by    the Constitution (Sixteenth) Amendment Act, 1963 read as:                  "173. A person shall not be qualified to be      chosen to   fill   a seat in the Legislature of a State      unless he-

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        (a)   is a citizen of India;          (b)   is,  in the case of a seat in the Legislative      Assembly,   not less than twenty-five years of age and,      in the  case of a seat  in the Legislative Council, not      less than thirty years of age; and            (c) possesses such other qualifications as may be prescribed in  that behalf  by or  under  any  law  made  by Parliament."           After  its amendment clause (a) of Article 173  of the Constitution now reads thus:                 "173.  A person shall not be Qualified to be      chosen   to fill  a seat  in the Legislature of a State      unless he-          (a) is a citizen of India, and makes and subscribes before   some person   authorised  in  that  behalf  by  the Election   Commission   an oath  or affirmation according to the form  set out  for the  purpose in  the Third  Schedule; ..... .. .. ".       By  the Sixteenth  Amendment clause (a) of Article 173 of the   Constitution   is  amended by  the  addition  of  a clause   which requires   a  candidate at an election to the Legislature   to   make and  subscribe  before  some  person authorised in that behalf by the Election Com 551 mission an oath or affirmation according to the form set out for the A purpose in the Third Schedule to the Constitution. The said  form   of oath or affirmation which a candidate at an election   to  the  Legislature of  State should make and subscribe (which   was  also  introduced  by  the  Sixteenth Amendment in the Third  Schedule to the Constitution‘ reads:               "Form  of oath or affirmation to be made by  a      candidate  for election to the Legislature of a State:-               "I, A.B., having been nominated a candidate to      fill  a     seat   in  the   Legislative  Assembly  (or      Legislative  Council),   do  swear    in  the  name  of      God/solemnly affirm  that I  will bear  true faith  and      allegiance   to the  Constitution of  India as  by  law      established and  that I will uphold the sovereignty and      integrity of India."            Earlier it was only after a person was elected or nominated  as  a  member of the Legislature of a State  that he   was required by Article 188 of the Constitution to make and subscribe an  oath or affirmation before taking his seat as such member  in the following form mentioned in the Third Schedule to the Constitution:              "Form  of  oath or affirmation to be made by  a      member of  the Legislature of a State:-               "I, A.B., having been elected (or nominated) a      member of   the  Legislative  Assembly  (or Legislative      Council),do swear   in  the name of God/solemnly affirm      that I will bear true faith and          allegiance  to the Constitution of India as by  law established and   that  I will faithfully discharge the duty upon which  I  am about to enter."             The  above  requirement has to be complied  with by  an elected  or nominated member of the State Legislature even   after the   Sixteenth  Amendment. The form of oath or affirmation   to   be made   by  a member of the Legislature under Article  188  of  the Constitution now reads thus: 552              "Form  of  oath or affirmation to be made by  a      member  of the Legislature of a State:-               "I, A.B., having been elected (or nominated) a      member   of   the Legislative  Assembly (or Legislative      Council), do swear  in  the name  of  God   that I Will

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    bear true  faith   solemnly  affirm  and allegiance  to      the Constitution  of India  as by  law  established and      that l  will uphold  the sovereignty  and integrity  of      India and  that   I will  faithfully discharge the duty      upon which I am  about to enter."       The  object of introducing the amendment in clause (a) of Article  173 of the Constitution was to provide that  not only  before   taking  his   seat  shall  a  member  of  the Legislature take  the oath  prescribed by the Third Schedule as required by Article 188 of the Constitution but that even before standing  for   election, a  candidate must  take the same oath.  This is  to ensure  that   only a  person having allegiance to  India shall be eligible for membership of the Legislature.        Article    163    (1)  and  Article  164    of    the Constitution which  provide for the appointment of the Chief Minister and other Ministers in a State read thus:              "163. (1) There shall be a Council of Ministers      with the   Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise      the Governor  in the   exercise   of   this  functions,      except in  so  far  as  he  is  by    or    under  this      Constitution required to exercise his functions or  any      of them in his discretion.........              "164. (1) The Chief Minister shall be appointed      by the   Governor  and the  other  Ministers  shall  be      appointed by  the Governor  on the  advice of the Chief      Minister, and  the Ministers  shall  hold office during      the pleasure of the Governor:                 Provided that in the States of Bihar, Madhya      Pradesh and   Orissa,   there  shall be  a Minister  in      charge of  tribal welfare   who may  in  addition be in      charge of  the welfare   of   the  Scheduled Castes and      backward classes or any other work.      (2)  The Council  of Ministers  shall  be  collectively           responsible to  the Legislative  Assembly  of  the           State. 553      (3)  Before a  Minister enters  upon  his  office,  the           Governor shall  administer to  him  the  oaths  of           office and  of secracy  according to the forms set           out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.      (4)  A   Minister who for any period of six consecutive           months  is  not a member of the Legislature of the           State shall at the expiration of that period cease           to be a Minister.      (5)  The  salaries and allowances of Ministers shall be           such   as the  Legislature of  the State  may from           time to  time by  law   determine and,  until  the           Legislature of  the State  so determines, shall be           as specified in the Second Schedule."       Clause  (4) of  Article 164  of the  Constitution says that a   Minister (which includes a Chief Minister also) who for  any period of six consecutive months is not a member of the  Legislature  of a State shall at the expiration of that period cease   to  be  a  Minister. By virtue of Article 177 of the   Constitution   a Minister  has a right to speak in, and otherwise  to take  part   in the   proceedings  of, the Legislative Assembly  of the  State on   in  the   case of a State having  a Legislative  Council,  both  Houses, and  to speak in,  and otherwise  to take  part in  the  proceedings of,   any Committee  of the  Legislature of  which he may be named   member, but would not, by virtue of that Article, be entitled   to vote.   Article  177, therefore,  ensures  the implementation of   the  constitutional  principle contained

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in clause  (2) of  Article   164 the   Constitution    which provides  that   the  Council     of    Ministers  shall  be collectively responsible to the Legislative Assembly  of the State.  Ministerial   responsibility  to   the   Legislative Assembly is   the   means of assuring that the Government is in   line   with popular  opinion,  "It is also necessary to emphasis"   says   Sir Ivor   Jennings  in his book entitled ’The     British      Constitution’   "that      ministerial responsibility means  only that  a  politician must  be able to answer  in the  House  of  Commons  for  every  act    of administration."   A    Minister  in  a  State  under    our Constitution discharges   that  responsibility by  virtue of the  provisions     contained     in   Article  177  of  the Constitution which  enables   him   to participate   in  the proceedings of  the Legislative  Assembly   even though   he may   not be  its member  with the  right   to   vote.   The petitioner,  however,  contends  that  the  debates  of  the Constituent Assembly suggest that a person shall be a member of the  Legislature 554 at the  time of  his being chosen as a Minister. It does not appear to  be so.  In fact, as was pointed out in Har Sharan Verma v.  Shri Tribhuvan   Narain  Singh, Chief  Minister of U.P. and  Shri.   (supra) an  amendment  was proposed in the Constituent   Assembly    to    the  draft  Constitution  as follows:               "A Minister shall, at the time of being chosen      as such,  be   a member  of the Legislative Assembly or      the Legislative Council  of the States, as the case may      be."              That   amendment   was   not   accepted.   (See Constituent Assembly  Debates dated  June 1, 1949, Vol. VIII at p. 521).       The   fear  expressed by  the petitioner that a person who does  not owe  his allegiance to the Constitution and if not   willing   to uphold  the sovereignty  and integrity of India would   have  an  opportunity  to become a Minister if he is not  required  to become  a  member of the Legislature after having  made   and  subscribed  an oath or affirmation as prescribed  by Article  173   (a) of  the Constitution is not well  founded because   under  clause (3) of Article 164 of the  Constitution a  Minister for a State  is required to take an  oath of  allegiance  to  the  Constitution  and  to undertake to  uphold the  sovereignty and integrity of India before entering  upon  his office in the form prescribed  in the  Third Schedule to the Constitution which reads thus:                "Form of oath, of office for a Minister for a      State:               "I,A.B.,  do swear in the name of God "I,A.B.,      do that   I   will bear  solemnly affirm true faith and      allegiance to  the   Constitution  of  India  as by law      established, that I  will  uphold  the sovereignty  and      integrity  of  India,  that  I  will  faithfully    and      conscientiously   discharge my duties as a Minister for      the   State of.. and that I will do right to all manner      of people in  accordance  with the Constitution and the      law without fear  or  favour, affection or ill will "             It is thus seen that there is no material change brought about  by reason of the amendment of Article 173 (a) of the  Constitution in the legal position that a person who is not a member of the State Legislature may be appointed as a Minister   subject, of  course,  to  clause (4) of Article 164  of  the  Constitution which says that a Minis 555 ter who  for any  period of  six consecutive months is not a

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member of  A the  Legislature of  the  State  shall  at  the expiration of that period cease to be a Minister.       The  decision of  the  Allahabad  High  Court  in  Har Sharan Varma   v.  Chandra Bhan  Gupta and Ors.(1) which was again   a   case filed   by  the petitioner,  on  which  the petitioner relies   also  lays down that by enacting Article 16414) of the Constitution the makers  of  the  Constitution provided for a  situation  where  a Minister may lose a seat in the  Legislature after  appointment-as the   result of an election petition  for example-or may not  be  a member when he is appointed.       We   do  not,  therefore,  find  any  merit  in    the petition. The petition is accordingly dismissed. A.P.J.                                   Petition dismissed.       (1) A l.R 1962 Allahabad 301. 556