Consider the following statements:

A Constitutional Government is one which                                                                      

1. Places effective restrictions on individual liberty in the interest of State Authority
2. Places effective restrictions on the Authority of the State in the interest of individual liberty

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2014 Prelims]         

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

A: Option b

• The Constitutional Government is defined by the existence of a constitution.
• It can be a legal instrument or merely a set of fixed principles generally accepted as the fundamental law of the polity.
• The idea behind constitutionalism is the control of power by its distribution among several state offices. The power is delegated to state offices but the central power remains with the main government.
• The Constitutional Government places effective restrictions on the Authority of the State in the interest of individual liberty. Hence, statement 1 is Not correct and statement 2 is correct.
• The citizens have the freedom to live and work in a society as they want. However, the citizens are abided by certain rules to follow for the betterment of the overall functions of the society.
• That is why citizens are given the fundamental rights that no one can deprive them of.