If a minister disagrees with a Cabinet decision but remains in office, which principle is affected?

Collective responsibility

Collective responsibility means that the Council of Ministers acts as one team and accepts responsibility for Cabinet decisions. A minister may express disagreement during internal discussion, but once a decision is adopted, the minister must publicly support it. If the minister cannot do so, the constitutional convention is to resign. This unity allows the government to present a clear policy and remain accountable to the Lok Sabha as a group.

Therefore, option A is correct: keeping office while openly rejecting a Cabinet decision affects collective responsibility. Judicial review concerns the courts’ examination of legality, federalism concerns the division of powers, and Election Commission independence concerns electoral administration. None of these principles directly describes the duty of ministers to stand together behind Cabinet decisions.

This is a Class 9 Civics question. Chapter: Working of Institutions. Topic: Political Executive (President, Prime Minister, and Council of Ministers).