PART V • UNION EXECUTIVE

President & Vice-President of India

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Roman Hindi: Articles 52–72 ko source ke sequence me election, term, impeachment, vacancy, Vice-President aur pardoning powers ke saath cover kiya gaya hai.

English: Complete source-based coverage of Articles 52–72, including elections, tenure, impeachment, vacancies, the Vice-President and pardoning powers.

Part V — Five Chapters

Chapter	Source Coverage
1	Union Executive — President + Vice-President + Prime Minister + Council of Ministers + Attorney General
2	Parliament — Articles 79–122
3	Legislative Powers of President — Article 123
4	Union Judiciary — Articles 124–147
5	Comptroller and Auditor General of India — Articles 148–151

President — Articles 52–55

Article 52

There shall be a President of India, Head of the Union Executive.

Article 53

Executive Power of Union President me vest. Source: Supreme Commander of all Defence Forces — Army, Navy, Airforce.

Article 54 — Election

Electoral college: elected members of both Houses of Parliament + elected members of Legislative Assemblies of States + Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.

⚠️ Exam Trap: Nominated MPs aur Legislative Council members President election me participate nahi karte.

Article 55 — Manner

Indirect election.
Proportional Representation + Single Transferable Vote (STV).
Secret ballot.

🔑 President: Head of Country • First Citizen of India • Nominal/Titular/De jure Head.

Vote Value Calculations

Value of vote of an MLA = (Total Population of State ÷ Total Number of Elected MLAs) × 1/1000

Value of vote of an MP = Total value of votes of all MLAs ÷ Total number of elected MPs

Electoral Quota = (Total number of valid votes polled ÷ (Vacancies + 1)) + 1

President — Articles 56–60

Article 56 — Term

5 years. Resignation letter Vice-President ko address.

Article 57 — Re-election

Source: naturalised citizen President ban sakta hai; re-election any number of times.

Article 58 — Qualifications

Citizen of India
Minimum 35 years
Qualified for election as Lok Sabha member
Must not hold office of profit

Article 59 — Conditions of Office

Parliament/State Legislature ka member nahi; appointment se seat vacate.
Emoluments/allowances Parliament determine kare; term ke dauran diminish nahi.

Office of Profit

Source: government-appointed/removable offices; President, Vice-President, PM, Governor offices office of profit nahi considered.

Article 60 — Oath

Chief Justice of India ke presence me. CJI unavailable ho to Supreme Court ka Senior-Most Judge charge leta hai.

💡 Source Facts: President term ke dauran criminal proceedings se immune. 2 months notice ke baad civil proceedings. Dr. Rajendra Prasad = longest serving & 1st President (1950–62). Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan = twice Vice-President.

Article 61 — Impeachment of President

Ground: Violation of Constitution — source notes Constitution me defined nahi.

Either House of Parliament charges initiate kar sakta hai.
Charges us House ke 1/4 members se signed.
President ko 14 days notice.
Resolution both Houses me special majority: total membership ka two-thirds majority — source wording.
President ko investigation me appear aur represented hone ka right.

All MPs — elected + nominated — impeachment me participate.
Process USA se borrowed.
Quasi-judicial process.
Source: no President has been impeached till date.
MLAs President election me participate karte hain, impeachment me nahi.

Article 62 — Election to Fill Vacancy

Normal Expiry

Election President ke term expire hone se pehle held.

Death / Resignation / Removal

Election within 6 months. Tab tak Vice-President Acting President.

VP unavailable → CJI Acting President. CJI bhi unavailable → Supreme Court ka Senior-most Judge.

Example in Source: Zakir Hussain → V. V. Giri (Acting President) → M. Hidayatullah.

🧠 Source Trick: PrEEM TReQing pe chalna hai, so COme In Time = President, Executive, Election, Manner, Term, Re-election, Qualifications, Conditions, Oath, Impeachment, Time to fill vacancy.

Vice-President — Articles 63–67

Article 63

There shall be a Vice-President of India.

Article 64

Ex-officio Chairman of Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
Source: second highest constitutional post.
Can act as President maximum 6 months.

Article 65

President ki absence me Vice-President Acting President ke functions perform karta hai.

Article 66 — Election

Electoral College: both Houses ke all members; nominated members included.

Method: Proportional Representation + STV; secret ballot; source: 20 proposers + 20 electors as seconders; security deposit ₹15,000; voter has multiple preferences.

Eligibility: citizen of India; 35+; qualified for Rajya Sabha election; Parliament/State Legislature member nahi — source says same as President.

Article 67 — Term & Removal

Up to 5 years.
Resigns to President (and vice-versa).
Removal resolution initiated only in Rajya Sabha.
Effective majority in RS + simple majority in LS.
14 days prior notice.
Successor takes charge tak continues.

Vice-President — Articles 68–71

Article 68

Term expiry vacancy ke liye election term expiry se pehle complete. Resignation/removal by Parliament/death vacancy → election as soon as possible.

Article 69

VP oath President ya President ki taraf se appointed person administer karta hai.

Article 70

Other contingencies me President ke functions discharge karne ke provisions Parliament bana sakta hai.

Article 71

President/VP elections ke doubts/disputes Supreme Court decide karta hai; decision final.
Election void declared ho to declaration se pehle President/VP ke acts valid considered.
Parliament election matters regulate kar sakta hai.
Electoral college incomplete hone ke ground par election challenge nahi.

⭐ Source Fact: Longest serving VP: M. Hamid Ansari (2007–2017); source says only VP to serve under 3 Presidents.

Article 72 — Pardoning Power of President

Type	Meaning in Source
Pardon	Completely removes punishment and conviction.
Commutation	Changes form of punishment.
Remission	Reduces punishment period.
Respite	Lessens punishment due to special conditions, e.g. pregnancy.
Reprieve	Temporary stay on execution.

⚠️ President vs Governor: Source says President can pardon death sentences and court-martial punishments; Governor cannot. Governor pardoning power: Article 161.

Kehar Singh Case & Judicial Powers

Kehar Singh vs Union of India (1988)

Source: President ki pardoning power judicial review ke subject nahi, unless decision arbitrary, mala fide, irrational, or discriminatory ho.

Judicial Powers of President

Chief Justice aur Supreme Court/High Courts judges appoint.
Supreme Court se law/fact par advice seek kar sakta hai; source says advice binding nahi.
Pardoning powers exercise karta hai.

Important Facts from Source

Dr. Rajendra Prasad — longest serving President, 12 years.
Dr. Zakir Hussain — first Muslim President; died in harness.
V. V. Giri — first Acting President to later get elected.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed died in office; B. D. Jatti appointed Acting President.
Neelam Sanjiva Reddy — only President elected unopposed.
Giani Zail Singh — first Sikh President.
R. Venkataraman — served during Coalition era.
K. R. Narayanan — first Dalit President.
Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam — “Missile Man” and “People's President”.
Pratibha Patil — first woman President.
Droupadi Murmu — first Tribal and second woman President.
Dr. Zakir Hussain — first Muslim Vice-President.

Presidents of India — Source Table

#	President	Term
1	Dr. Rajendra Prasad	1950–1962
2	Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	1962–1967
3	Dr. Zakir Hussain	1967–1969
4	V. V. Giri	1969–1974
5	Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	1974–1977
6	Neelam Sanjiva Reddy	1977–1982
7	Giani Zail Singh	1982–1987
8	R. Venkataraman	1987–1992
9	Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma	1992–1997
10	K. R. Narayanan	1997–2002
11	Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	2002–2007
12	Pratibha Patil	2007–2012
13	Pranab Mukherjee	2012–2017
14	Ram Nath Kovind	2017–2022
15	Droupadi Murmu	2022–Present

Vice-Presidents of India — Source Table

#	Vice-President	Term
1	Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	1952–1962
2	Dr. Zakir Hussain	1962–1967
3	V. V. Giri	1967–1969
4	Gopal Swarup Pathak	1969–1974
5	B. D. Jatti	1974–1979
6	Mohammad Hidayatullah	1979–1984
7	R. Venkataraman	1984–1987
8	Shankar Dayal Sharma	1987–1992
9	K. R. Narayanan	1992–1997
10	Krishan Kant	1997–2002
11	Bhairon Singh Shekhawat	2002–2007
12	Mohammad Hamid Ansari	2007–2017
13	M. Venkaiah Naidu	2017–2022
14	Jagdeep Dhankhar	2022–2025
15	C. P. Radhakrishnan	2025–Till Date

Source ke anusaar: Page 9 list ko exactly source framing me preserve kiya gaya hai.

🧠 QUICK REVISION — HIGH RETENTION

52: President • 53: Union executive power • 54: election • 55: manner.
President electoral college: elected MPs + elected MLAs of States, Delhi, Puducherry; nominated MPs/MLCs excluded.
56: 5-year term • 57: re-election • 58: citizen, 35+, LS qualification, no office of profit • 59: conditions • 60: oath.
61: impeachment for violation of Constitution; either House; 1/4 signatures; 14-day notice; MPs elected+nominated participate; MLAs do not.
62: casual vacancy election within 6 months; VP → CJI → senior-most SC judge acting sequence in source.
63: VP • 64: ex-officio Rajya Sabha Chairman • 65: acts as President • 66: VP election.
VP electoral college = all members of both Houses including nominated; STV + secret ballot; source deposit ₹15,000.
67: 5 years; removal starts in RS: effective majority RS + simple majority LS; 14-day notice.
68: VP vacancy election • 69: oath • 70: contingencies • 71: election disputes → Supreme Court.
72: Pardon, Commutation, Remission, Respite, Reprieve.
Article 161: Governor pardoning power — source comparison.
High-yield names: Rajendra Prasad, Zakir Hussain, V. V. Giri, Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, K. R. Narayanan, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Pratibha Patil, Droupadi Murmu, Hamid Ansari.

🔢 Number Trap: President 52–62 • VP 63–71 • Pardon 72 • Age 35 • Term 5 years • Impeachment notice 14 days • President casual vacancy 6 months.

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📝 Chapter Practice

1. According to the notes, which statement is correct about President — Articles 52–55?

2. According to the notes, which statement is correct about Article 61 — Impeachment of President?

3. According to the notes, which statement is correct about Vice-President — Articles 63–67?

4. According to the notes, which statement is correct about Kehar Singh Case & Judicial Powers?

5. According to the notes, which statement is correct about Important Facts from Source?