'In a parliamentary democracy, one of the most
important functions of the legislature is to keep a
check on the executive.' Evaluate this sentence in
the light of what you have learned in this chapter.
Answers
Answer:
In a parliamentary democracy like India, one of the most important functions of the legislature is to keep a check on the executive. This is called the system of Checks and Balances.
Explanation:
Parliamentary democracies are known for their basic features like the Separation of power and the system of Checks and balances.
Separation of power, as the name suggests refers to the feature where various organs of the government work individually without interfering with the working of the other organ. This means that the Executive, the Judiciary, and the Legislature are independent of each other.
However, to ensure that the power is not abused by any organ, the system of checks and balances is there. Under this system, the separate branches are empowered to prevent actions by other branches and are induced to share power. For example: Legislatures review the functioning of the executive. The Constitution states that the executive branch of the State (Council of Ministers) shall be collectively responsible to the Legislature (Lok Sabha). This implies that the Parliament should supervise the work of the government and hold it accountable for its actions.
The executive loses power when it loses the confidence of the legislature. The executive/council of ministers is dismissed if it loses the legislature’s confidence before its tenure is over. So, the legislature controls the executive through a vote of no-confidence.