Q1.
Do you recall that we discussed the need for a system of governance, commonly referred to as a government? There are three main functions that governments perform — making laws (legislature), carrying out laws and making policies (executive), and ensuring laws are followed (judiciary).
Answer
Yes — and the reason a government is needed is set out on page 151 of this very chapter. According to Kauṭilya, the author of the Arthashastra, “if there is no government, society will become chaotic with the big fish, i.e., the more powerful, eating the smaller fish.” That picture has a name: matsya nyāya, the ‘law of the fish’ (Fig. 6.9). Without a common set of rules and someone to enforce them, the strong simply take what they want from the weak.
The three functions, and why each one is needed.
| Organ | Function | Why it must exist |
|---|---|---|
| Legislature | Making laws | People living together need one agreed set of rules. Otherwise every dispute is settled by whoever is stronger |
| Executive | Carrying out laws and making policies | A law written on paper changes nothing by itself. Somebody must build the school, run the hospital, collect the tax and stop the crime |
| Judiciary | Ensuring laws are followed | Rules are broken and rules are argued about. Someone must decide what a law means and who is right — including when the government itself is at fault |
Why they are kept separate: if the same people made the laws, carried them out and judged the disputes, there would be nobody left to say “you have gone too far”. This chapter states the principle plainly on page 151: “The Constitution ensures that no part of the government becomes too powerful.” The chapter also notes that this is not the same everywhere — “in some countries, the legislature, executive and judiciary are separate, while in others they may overlap.”
Also from Grade 6: the three levels of government in India — union, state and local. Levels and organs are two different ideas, and this chapter takes up both: organs on pages 152–161, levels under ‘Tiers of Government’ on pages 161–164.