Question

Under the Indian constitution the residuary powers are enjoyed by the ______.
a. The Parliament
b. The State Assembly
c. The Local Government
d. The District Administration

Answer 1

Hint: The residuary power is generally vested in the hands of the federal legislative body and not the states of India. It means that besides the subjects mentioned in the Union List, the Legislature can formulate laws on any subject not mentioned in any list whatsoever.

Complete answer:
The residuary powers are those powers which are there without any guidelines and are not specified anywhere. The powers in the constitution of India are divided into the States and the Centre Let’s look at our options one by one:
a. The Parliament - The supreme law making body of India, headed by the President of India holds the residuary powers. It means that the Parliament is powered to legislate on the matters that are excluded in the list of State and Union and also the Concurrent ones. So, it is the correct option.
b. The State Assembly - The State assemblies can legislate on many subjects, all of which are found in the state list and the concurrent list. However, they do not have any residuary powers whatsoever. So, it is an incorrect option.
c. The Local Government - the Local governments are not empowered to legislate on any matter. They are vested with limited powers. So, it is an incorrect option.
d. The District Administration - the District Administration is an executive body and not a legislative one, so it cannot have residuary powers at all. So, it is an incorrect option.
Hence, the correct answer is, ‘a. The Parliament’.

Note: The residuary powers are also vested in the President, with the help of the Parliament as he is the head of the legislature as well. However, the President works according to the council of ministers.