Which Of the following is NOT possible by a law of Parliament under Article 3 of the Constitution?

Option D is correct. Admission of new States falls under Article 2, not Article 3. Article 2 lets Parliament admit into the Union or establish new States that are not yet part of it, as with Sikkim in 1975 through the 36th Amendment. Article 3 deals with changes to States that already exist within the Union.

Article 3 covers the other three options:

• A) Formation of new States: possible under Article 3(a), for example by separating territory from a State, as with Telangana in 2014.
• B) Alteration of areas: possible under Article 3, which allows increasing or diminishing the area of a State.
• C) Alteration of boundaries: possible under Article 3, which allows altering the boundaries of a State.

Article 4 adds that laws under Article 3 are not treated as constitutional amendments under Article 368. This links to the Mains theme of federalism and the centre's power over the states.

Trap: Aspirants often merge Article 2 and Article 3 because both need only a simple majority of Parliament. The question tests whether you know which article gives which power.