Which one of the following factors constitutes the best safeguard of liberty in a liberal democracy? ​

Separation of powers is the best safeguard because it stops any one organ from accumulating unchecked authority. When the legislature, executive and judiciary have distinct functions and check each other, no single hand can make, enforce and interpret the law arbitrarily.

• A (committed judiciary): A judiciary committed to the government's agenda is a weakness. Independence protects liberty, not commitment. Article 50 directs separation of the judiciary from the executive.
• B (centralization of powers): Concentration of power is what liberal constitutionalism is designed to prevent. It reduces accountability and invites arbitrariness.
• C (elected government): Election gives legitimacy, not limitlessness. An elected majority can still pass oppressive laws, which is the concern behind the tyranny of the majority. Elections are necessary but not sufficient for liberty.

Core concept: checks and balances within a constitutional framework. India follows a flexible separation rather than a strict one, but judicial review under Article 13 and the basic structure doctrine from Kesavananda Bharati (1973) work as the same kind of safeguard. For Mains GS2, this links to debates on institutional independence, ordinance-making and governor-state relations.

Trap: Aspirants pick A or C because both sound democratic. Ask which factor restrains power, not which one legitimises it.