Which one of the following factors constitutes the best safeguard of liberty in a liberal democracy?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Separation of powers
Separation of powers is the best safeguard of liberty because it keeps law-making, law-enforcing and law-interpreting power in different hands, so each organ can check the others and none can rule unchecked. Centralised power removes those checks, and an elected government is itself the body that needs to be restrained.
- ✗ (a) A judiciary protects liberty only when it is independent of the legislature and executive. That independence is itself a product of separating the powers, so the judiciary alone is not the 'best' safeguard.
- ✗ (b) Centralising powers puts them in one place and removes the checks that protect individual freedom.
- ✗ (c) Elections choose the government but do not limit what it may do once in office; a majority can still override individual rights unless other organs hold it in check.
- ✓ (d) Dividing power among the legislature, executive and judiciary creates checks and balances: each organ can check what the others do and restore balance if one goes beyond its role.
Remember · Liberty is safest when no single organ holds all state power: separation of powers, with checks and balances among legislature, executive and judiciary, is the best safeguard.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 6 Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Ch 10 (practise this chapter) · Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Ch 6 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 6 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Chapter 10 “This separation is called the ‘separation of powers’ (Fig. 10.3). It is intended to provide a system of checks and balances. This means that each organ of the government can check what the other is doing and restore balance if one organ acts beyond its expected role.”
- NCERT Class 11 · Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 6 “The Indian Constitution is based on a delicate principle of limited separation of powers and checks and balances. This means that each organ of the government has a clear area of functioning.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·