Parliament-President of India

The President of India is referred to as the head of state of the Republic of India. In Article 52 of the Indian Constitution, it is mentioned that there shall be a President of India. Article 54 of the Indian Constitution states that there shall be an election for the President of India. 

The election of the President of India is done indirectly by the single-transferable voting system. The election of the President of India is done by an electoral college which contains elected representatives of the parliament and state Legislatures.

In Article 55 of the Indian Constitution, the manner of the election of the President of India is mentioned. Article 55 states that:

1. The election of the President of India is done indirectly through an electoral college. 
2. The election is required to be done through a secret ballot. 
3. The election must be done according to the system of proportional representation utilizing a single transferable vote. 

What Are The Eligibility Criteria For Elections Of The President Of India? 

An individual is eligible for the position of President of India only if he/she possesses the following:

1. She/he is a citizen of India. 
2. She/he should be at least 35 years old. 
3. She/he should not hold any office of profit under public authority in any Union, State, or Local body within India. 
4. She/he should be qualified for election to be a member of Lok Sabha. 

Powers and Responsibilities of the President of India 

The President of India is provided with several powers as well as responsibilities to protect the Indian Constitution. 

Legislative Powers provided to the President of India 

1. The President of India can  dissolve the Lok Sabha on the recommendation of Prime Minister. 
2. The President of India has the responsibility to nominate 12 members of the Rajya Sabha who have a history of creating extraordinary accomplishments in the fields of Science, Arts, Literature, and Social Service. 
3. A bill prepared and passed by both the Houses of Parliament can become a law only if it is received and approved by the President of India. 
4. The President of India has the right to send back the bill to the Parliament unless it is a money bill or Constitutional amendment bill. 

Executive Powers Are Given To The President Of India 

1. The executive powers are provided to the President of India. The Parliament can provide additional powers if it suits and the President of India can further pass these powers to state governors. 

Appointing Responsibilities Of The President Of India 

1. The President of India performs the duty of appointing the Prime Minister of India. 
2. The President of India has the duty to appoint the Chief Justice of India. 
3. The President of India is considered as the appointing authority for the States and the President of India has the power to dismiss any governor who is violating rules and regulations of the Indian Constitution. 
4. Moreover, The President of India has the power to appoint numerous posts including ambassadors to other countries such as IAS, IPF, IFS, Attorney General, etc. 

Vacancy In Position Of The President Of India 

The vacancy in the position of the President of India takes place under the following conditions:

1. In case of the death of the President of India, the position becomes vacant. 
2. If the President of India resigns from his position, the office of the President of India falls vacant. 
3. If the President of India violates the rules and regulations of the Indian Constitution or misuses his Presidential powers, then the position falls vacant. 

Although there are rare chances of the position of President of India falling vacant under these circumstances, there’s no option left but to do elections for the new President of India. 

List Of All the Presidents Of India From 1947 to 2022

Here’s the list is given of all the Presidents of India from 1947 to 2022:

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

(26 Jan 1950 – 13 May 1962)

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

(13 May 1962 – 13 May 1967)

Dr. Zakir Hussain

(13 May 1967 – 3 May 1969)

1. V Giri

(24 August 1969 – 24 August 1974)

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

(24 August 1974 – 11 February 1977)

Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy 

(25 July 1977 – 25 July 1982)

Giani Zail Singh 

(25 July 1982 – 25 July 1987) 

1. Venkataraman

(25 July 1987 – 25 July 1992)

Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma

(25 July 1992 – 25 July 1997)

K R Narayanan

(25 July 1997 – 25 July 2002)

Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam

(25 July 2002 – 25 July 2007)

Shrimati Pratibha Singh Patil

(25 July 2007 – 25 July 2012)

Pranab Mukherjee

(25 July 2012 – 25 July 2017)

Ram Nath Kovind 

(25 July 2017 – till now) 

Conclusion 

The President of India is considered as the head of the State of the Republic of India. Article 54 of the Indian Constitution states that there shall be an election of the President of India. There is an eligibility criterion to become the President of India, i.e., She/he must be a citizen of India, She/he must be 35 years old and She/he should be qualified for election to be a member of Lok Sabha.

Several powers and responsibilities are given to the President of India such as Legislative powers, Executive powers, and Appointing powers and duties.