In the Indian Constitution, all citizens have equality of opportunity in matters relating to employment or appointment to any office under the State. In this context, which of the following is/are exceptions? 1. The State Legislature can prescribe residence as a condition for certain employment. 2. A law can provide that the incumbent of an office in connection with the affairs of any religious or denominational institution shall be a person professing a particular religion. 3. The State can make provision for the reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any backward class of citizens. Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation

Under Article 16 of the Constitution, the exceptions to the equality of opportunity in public employment are: 1. Parliament (and not the State Legislature) can prescribe residence as a condition for certain employment (Article 16(3)). Therefore, statement 1 is incorrect. 2. The State can provide for reservation of appointments or posts in favor of any backward class of citizens if they are not adequately represented in the state services (Article 16(4)). Therefore, statement 3 is correct. 3. A law can provide that the incumbent of an office in connection with the affairs of any religious or denominational institution, or any member of the governing body thereof, shall be a person professing a particular religion (Article 16(5)). Therefore, statement 2 is correct.