Key Note on Article 54

India is one of the largest democracies in the world. An article within the Indian constitution gives a proper guideline that ultimately defines a particular rule. Further, it is a kind of a principle that defines the act. The Indian constitution whose main architect was the well-known Indian politician BR Ambedkar created an amalgamation of certain important articles. All the different articles are dealing with the government’s ruling framework. These articles define a person’s particular rights as well as the election scenario. It is so articulately written that it is considered one of the longest written constitutions of any country. 

Election of President (Article 54)

Article 54 holds an important position among the different articles the article states that the President of the country must be elected by Elected members consisting of the members of both houses of Parliament. The President shall be elected by the legislative assemblies within the state. Here it should be mentioned that the word “State” involves Delhi’s National Capital Territory as well as Pondicherry’s union territory. 

Houses within the parliament

In India, it can be observed that there are two houses within the parliament. Among these first is the Rajya Sabha or the House of States whereas the second one is the Lok Sabha which is the People’s house. Here it should be mentioned that the Rajya Sabha is considered as Upper class and Lok Sabha is considered the Lower House. In this context, Bicarmel Legislature is considered as the two houses within Legislature. 

Qualifications required for the President of India

As mentioned previously, Article 52 – Article 62 deals with various aspects related to the president of India. Article 53 falls under this category and so it also deals with the aspects regarding the President of India. In this context, it should be mentioned that some specific qualifications are necessary for a candidate to run for the President’s office. These qualifications are mandatory if the person is to be elected as the president. The required qualifications have been highlighted in the following. Firstly, the candidate runic for the President’s office must be a Citizen of India. Secondly, the age of the candidate must not be below 35 years. After this, the president to be elected for the President’s office must satisfy all conditions of election as a member within Lok Sabha. Lastly, the Candidate under any condition should not hold any profit office under some public authority, Central Government and State Government. 

Process of President Impeachment

The only process through which the Impeachment of the President of India can be initiated is a constitutional violation. However, in this context, it should be mentioned that the constitution of India contains no definition of a constitutional violation. The process of impeachment of the Indian President has been outlined in the following. Here Lok Sabha has been taken as the first house for initiating the charges of impeachment. But Rajya Sabha can also initiate the impeachment process and charges not in favour of the president. In this case, the resolution will be passed and the charges will be sent to the Lok Sabha. These charges will then be investigated and passed if the charges are seen to be valid. The steps for the impeachment process have been given in the following

• Firstly, an impeachment charge is initiated by the Lok Sabha. 1/4th of the Lok Sabha Members sign this impeachment and the Indian President is given a 14 days notice.
• The impeachment charges are passed by the Lok Sabha with a majority of two-thirds and are then sent to the Rajya Sabha. After the signing of the Impeachment Lok Sabha, it is passed so that the Rajya Sabha can investigate it. 
• Next, an investigation of the charges is done by Rajya Sabha, and the President is allowed to sit in these proceedings. 
• Lastly, if the Rajya Sabha agrees to the charges and passes the impeachment with a two-thirds majority then the President is removed. 

Conclusion

The entire article has been written on the core topic of Article 54. Article 54 particularly deals with the president of India. Article 54 is important in the list of articles related to the president of India. Many questions are given in the UPSC exam on the given topic. The article has been discussed in detail via discussion of the election of the president (Article 54), different houses within the parliament, and so on.