Answer: C

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Article 329(a) of the Indian Constitution explicitly bars courts from questioning the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats made under Articles 324 to 329. Such matters fall strictly within the legislative domain.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Article 329(b) states that no election to either House of Parliament or a State Legislature can be called into question except by an Election Petition presented to an appropriate authority/High Court. Courts strictly cannot interfere midway through the election process, as reaffirmed recently by the Supreme Court when dismissing the Meenakshi Natarajan case.

Statement 3 is correct: In the landmark case of N.P. Ponnuswami v. Returning Officer (1952), the Supreme Court ruled that the word "election" is used in a comprehensive sense to denote the entire procedure, from the notification calling the election to the declaration of the result. Therefore, mid-election disputes must wait for a post-election Election Petition.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Article 329(b) mandates that election petitions must be filed before the appropriate High Court, not directly before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court only enters the picture if there is an appeal against the High Court's order.

Statement 2 is correct: The overarching rationale for Article 329 is to preserve the continuity and independence of the electoral process. By deferring all election-related disputes to post-election Election Petitions, the Constitution ensures that elections proceed sequentially without being halted by prolonged, mid-election litigation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Any dispute regarding the improper acceptance or rejection of a nomination paper or any other electoral irregularities cannot be adjudicated mid-process. As established in binding rulings like Mohinder Singh Gill v. Chief Election Commissioner, courts will not interfere during the election process; these matters can exclusively be raised through an Election Petition after the election has concluded.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) system is an exo-atmospheric interceptor, meaning it is designed to engage and neutralize incoming ballistic missiles outside the Earth's atmosphere.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The Advanced Air Defence (AAD) system acts as the second, lower layer and is an endo-atmospheric interceptor. It destroys incoming missiles within the Earth's atmosphere.

Statement 3 is correct: As part of Phase-II of India's BMD architecture, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing advanced interceptor systems such as AD-1 and AD-2 to counter advanced threats, including IRBMs and ICBMs.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: The S-400 Triumf system, procured from Russia, is India's premier long-range surface-to-air missile system. It has an engagement range of up to 400 km, effectively forming the outer shield or long-range layer of India's air defence network.

Statement 2 is correct: Project Kusha is an indigenous long-range air defence programme being developed by DRDO. Once operational, it is intended to provide comprehensive protection against aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and hypersonic weapons, reducing dependence on foreign systems.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) are classified under the Point Defence Layer (the innermost layer designed to protect critical assets from immediate/close-range threats), not the Medium-Range Defence Layer. The Medium-Range layer comprises systems like the Akash and Barak-8 missiles.

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The interim report of the Supreme Court-appointed National Task Force emphasizes that student suicides should not be viewed merely as an individual mental health or psychiatric issue. Instead, the panel framed it as a systemic, structural, and institutional problem rooted in discrimination, academic exclusion, financial distress, and institutional neglect.

Statement 2 is correct: The committee highlighted a critical policy gap, stating that India currently lacks a dedicated statutory framework for suicide prevention in higher education institutions. Existing measures are predominantly non-binding, advisory, and reactive rather than enforceable and preventive.

Statement 3 is correct: The NTF findings indicate that more than 70\% of surveyed higher education institutions do not have full-time mental health professionals, and fewer than 4\% have active suicide-risk management protocols in place.