Question

The Prime Minister is the executive head of the country. With reference to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet, answer the following question:

What is meant by the term collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers?

Answer 1

Collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers means that the entire Council (Cabinet and other ministers) is jointly responsible to the directly elected House of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for government policy and must present a united front once a decision is taken collectively; every minister must defend it both inside and outside Parliament. Article 75(3) of the Indian Constitution provides for this principle.

• Joint accountability: The Council as a whole must enjoy the confidence of the Lok Sabha and is answerable to it for government decisions.
• Cabinet solidarity in public: Ministers may debate and disagree in Cabinet, but after a collective decision, they must not publicly oppose it; they must either support it or resign.
• Political consequence of defeat: If a Cabinet decision is defeated in the Lok Sabha (even if it concerns a single ministry), the convention requires the entire Council of Ministers to resign or seek a fresh mandate.
• Relation to individual responsibility: Collective responsibility is distinct from individual ministerial responsibility (each minister remains individually answerable for the conduct of their department).