Under Article ______ of the Indian Constitution, the Uttarakhand Legislative…

Concept: Part XVII of the Constitution (Articles 343-351) deals with the official language(s) of the Union and of the States. Article 345 specifically empowers the Legislature of a State to adopt, by law, any one or more of the languages in use in that State, or Hindi, for use for all or any of the official purposes of that State.

Application: Acting under this very power, the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly passed the Uttarakhand Official Language Act, 2009 (notified in 2010), making Hindi the official language of the state and Sanskrit its second official language. A State Legislature adopting its own official language(s) by law is exactly the power that Article 345 grants, so the blank is filled by 345.

Cross-check: The other article numbers deal with unrelated subjects and can be ruled out on their own content:

• Article 234 - recruitment of persons, other than district judges, to the judicial service of a State.

• Article 199 - the definition of "Money Bills" for the purposes of a State Legislature.

• Article 310 - tenure of civil/defence service members during the pleasure of the President or the Governor (the "doctrine of pleasure").

Result: Only Article 345 concerns a State's power to adopt its own official language, confirming 345 as the correct article.