Assertion (A) : The British sovereignty continued to exist in free India. Reason (R) : The British sovereign appointed the last Governor-General of free India. In the context of the above two statements, which one of the following is correct ?

Assertion is false: the Indian Independence Act 1947 ended British rule and declared India a sovereign dominion from 15 August 1947, so British sovereignty did not continue over free India [1]. Reason is true in legal-practical terms: the Dominion retained the office of Governor‑General, who exercised certain powers in the name of the Crown (assenting to bills, etc.) and thus remained the sovereign’s formal representative in the dominion system [2]. C. Rajagopalachari succeeded Lord Mountbatten as the last Governor‑General of independent India and served until the office was abolished when India became a republic in 1950 [3]. Therefore A is false but R is true (option 4).

Sources

1. [1] https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2021/nov/doc2021112621.pdf
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 1: Historical Background > The features of this Act were as follows: > p. 9
3. [3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-Rajagopalachari