Legislative Powers of the President

The President of India holds his position for 5 years, after which a new election is conducted to elect a new President. He is not directly elected, instead, he is elected by the Electoral College which consists of both the houses of the Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the States and the Union Territories. The President of India enjoys some powers and functions that can be classified into three categories such as executive, legislative, and emergency powers. The President can be re-elected under the provision of the Constitution, and he can hold t5he office until the new President is elected. 

Overview of the powers of the President

An important fact is that every executive action of the government is taken or initiated under the name of the President. He also enjoys some special powers during the time of emergency. In addition to this, the legislative powers enjoyed by him are very important concerning the activities of both houses of the Parliament. The President represents India in all international affairs and organizations or forums. International treaties take place after he gives assent to them. Moreover, the President enjoys special powers during Financial Emergencies, President’s rule, and National Emergency. 

The President summons and prorogues the Houses of the Parliament, and it is an essentially legislative power of the President. He summons and prorogues the Houses of the Parliament when he thinks that some essential matter or issue needs to be discussed with the members of the Parliament. He also summons and prorogues the Houses of Parliament to resolve certain matters or discuss topics of national interest. There are some financial powers of the President that he executes to introduce financial acts in the country, or include or exclude something from the Union Budget. The President also enjoys some judicial powers, and he possesses the power to grant pardon to a person who is convicted. He can reduce the years of imprisonment or punish the lesser than the actual punishment given by the Supreme Court of the country. He acts on the advice of the chief justice and the experienced judges of the Supreme while exercising his judicial powers, however, it needs to be considered that the advice of the Supreme Court judges is not binding on the President. 

Legislative powers of the President

The most important legislative power of the President of India is that he summons and prorogues the Houses of the Parliament. Another significant fact about the president is that he has the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha. The President nominates twelve members to Rajya Sabha. In addition to this, he can also nominate two members who belong to the Anglo Indian Community.  He can summon and prorogue the Houses of the Parliament to conduct a joint session for both the houses of the Parliament. He also plays an important role in issues related to elections by consulting and discussing with the Election Commission. Moreover, he can also make recommendations to introduce a certain bill in the parliament. 

One of the legislative powers of the President is that he can appoint the chairman, deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha as well as the deputy speaker and speaker of the Lok Sabha. He presents the reports of the Finance Commission and the public service commission before the Parliament for further scrutiny. It needs to be mentioned that the president has the power to dissolve Lok Sabha when a no-confidence motion is passed by the houses of the Parliament. The promulgation of the ordinances is also caused by the President as on his legislative powers.

Conclusion

The President of India is the titular head who enjoys some significant powers. The legislative, executive, financial, and emergency powers of the President are worth mentioning as they have special significance in the governance of the country. One of the most important legislative powers of the President is that he has the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha on the grounds of a non-confidence motion. Moreover, he summons and prorogues the Houses of the Parliament, which is indeed a major legislative power as he has the authority to conduct a joint sitting of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.