Maarg Manthan · Topic 15.4

Collective Responsibility of the Council of Ministers

Indian Polity › Prime Minister and Council of Ministers · Topic 15.4

Under Article 75(3) the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha: it sinks or swims together, cabinet decisions bind all ministers, and a no-confidence vote or the Prime Minister’s resignation ends the whole council.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Polity · Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

At a Glance

What it is The principle that ministers sink or swim together
Article Article 75(3)
To whom The Lok Sabha
Test Vote of no confidence
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Prime Minister and Council of Ministers

Where Does It Fit?

This is the fourth topic of the category on the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. Collective responsibility is the fundamental principle underlying the working of the parliamentary system.

Meaning

Article 75 states that the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. This means that all the ministers own joint responsibility to the Lok Sabha for all their acts of omission and commission. They work as a team and swim or sink together. When the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion against the council, all ministers, including those from the Rajya Sabha, have to resign. Each minister need not resign separately; the resignation of the Prime Minister amounts to the resignation of the entire council.

Alternatively, the council can advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha on the ground that the House does not faithfully represent the views of the electorate and call for fresh elections. The President may not oblige a council that has lost the confidence of the Lok Sabha.

Cabinet Decisions Bind All

The principle also means that cabinet decisions bind all cabinet ministers and other ministers, even if they differed in the cabinet meeting. It is the duty of every minister to stand by cabinet decisions and support them both within and outside Parliament. If a minister disagrees with a cabinet decision and is not prepared to defend it, the minister must resign. Several ministers have resigned over differences: Dr B.R. Ambedkar resigned over the Hindu Code Bill in 1953, C.D. Deshmukh over the policy of reorganisation of states, and Arif Mohammed over the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986.

Tools of Control by Parliament

Parliament controls ministers through devices such as question hour, discussions, the adjournment motion and the no-confidence motion. The parliamentary system is described as a responsible government because the cabinet, the real executive, is accountable to Parliament and stays in office as long as it enjoys the confidence of the Lok Sabha. The council survives even after the Lok Sabha is dissolved until the new one is constituted, as held in the U.N.R. Rao case. Examples of governments that fell after losing the confidence of the Lok Sabha include V.P. Singh in 1990 and Deve Gowda in 1997.

Motions That Test Responsibility

Motion	Key features
No-confidence motion	Article 75; needs the support of 50 members to be admitted; need not state reasons; moved against the entire council only; if passed, the council must resign
Confidence motion	A newer device for fractured mandates, hung Houses and coalition governments; the government may move it to prove its majority; if negatived, the government falls
Censure motion	Must state reasons; can be moved against one minister, a group or the entire council; for censuring specific policies and actions; if passed, the council need not resign
Motion of Thanks	Discusses the President’s address; must be passed, otherwise it amounts to the defeat of the government

These motions show how the principle works in practice. The council of ministers stays in office so long as it enjoys the confidence of the majority of the members of the Lok Sabha. Governments formed with a wafer-thin majority have been called upon by the President to prove their majority on the floor of the House.

Collective and Individual Responsibility

Point	Collective responsibility	Individual responsibility
Basis	Article 75(3)	Article 75(2), pleasure of the President
To whom	Lok Sabha	President, acting on the Prime Minister’s advice
Result of failure	Entire council resigns	One minister is asked to resign or is dismissed
Test	No-confidence motion	Prime Minister’s dissatisfaction or difference of opinion

The Prime Minister is the instrument by which collective responsibility is enforced, because the Prime Minister can ask a minister to resign or advise the President to dismiss one.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Fundamental principle Asked in Prelims and Mains
Resignation examples Ambedkar, Deshmukh and Arif Mohammed are cited
Link to individual responsibility Leads to 15.5

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the individual responsibility of ministers.

Key People and Terms

No-confidence motion Test of majority in the Lok Sabha
Swim or sink together Team responsibility
Omission and commission Acts done and left undone
Dissolution of the Lok Sabha Alternative to resigning
Responsible government Government answerable to the legislature

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Article 75(3): to the Lok Sabha.
No confidence: entire council resigns.
Cabinet decisions bind all ministers.
Dissenting minister should resign.

Do Not Confuse With

Collective and individual Council versus single minister
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Only the Lok Sabha enforces it
Resignation and dismissal Dismissal on PM’s advice

Memory Hook

One team, one fate: no-confidence sinks all, dissent means resign.

Mains Angle

Questions on this topic usually ask how responsibility is enforced. Use these points to add depth.

Foundation of the system Accountability to the Lok Sabha
Cabinet solidarity Public support for decisions
Weapons of Parliament Question hour, motions
Prime Minister’s role Instrument of enforcement

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“What is meant by the collective responsibility of the council of ministers? How is it enforced?”

How to Answer

Introduction Article 75.
Meaning Team principle.
Enforcement No-confidence, resignation.
Conclusion Link to individual responsibility.

GS Relevance

Prelims: Indian Polity, council of ministers. GS Paper 2: Executive and Parliament.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is collective responsibility?

Collective responsibility, under Article 75, means the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha. All ministers own joint responsibility for their acts, work as a team, and sink or swim together; a no-confidence vote forces the whole council to resign.

To whom is the council of ministers collectively responsible?

The council is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha, the House of the People, and not to the Rajya Sabha. Ministers from the Rajya Sabha also have to resign if the Lok Sabha passes a no-confidence motion against the council.

What happens if a minister disagrees with a cabinet decision?

Cabinet decisions bind all ministers even if they differed in the meeting. A minister who disagrees and is not prepared to defend the decision must resign, as Ambedkar did in 1953 and Arif Mohammed did over the 1986 Muslim Women Act.

Can the council of ministers avoid resignation after losing confidence?

The council can advise the President to dissolve the Lok Sabha on the ground that it does not represent the electorate and call fresh elections, but the President need not oblige a council that has lost the confidence of the Lok Sabha.

How does the Prime Minister secure collective responsibility?

The Prime Minister can ask a minister to resign or advise the President to dismiss a minister in case of difference of opinion, which ensures that all ministers adhere to the rule of collective responsibility.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Rajya Sabha.

False

To the Lok Sabha.

2 The resignation of the PM amounts to the resignation of the whole council.

True

No separate resignations are needed.

3 A minister disagreeing with a cabinet decision may remain and criticise it publicly.