President of India General Knowledge
President of India is the first citizen of India and is executive head of state. President of India General Knowledge is an evergreen topic for almost all kinds of government exams. Whether you appear for state government exam, Center government exam or any other examination there are some important questions which are commonly asked such as qualification for President, selection process of president, tenure of president, salary, powers of Indian president and many more.
So here in this post we are going to discuss all General Knowledge (GK) related to President of India in details in a step by step procedure:
Eligibility/Qualification for President of India:
Eligibility to become president of India depends upon some criteria. Article 58 of the Indian Constitution explains about eligibility conditions in detail.
- A person should be a citizen of India
- His or her age should at least 35 years at the time of filling nomination.
- He/she should also be eligible to be a member of lower house(Lok Sabha)
- Should not be holding any office of profit.
Important tip to remember: Pratibha devi Patil is the only female president of India.
Also Check: List of Presidents of India after Independence
President of India Selection Process
How does India elect its president : Election process of president of India is done in indirect way. Only elected members from both the houses of parliament and elected members of legislative assemblies take part in the president selection process. Legislative Councils member have no right to take part in president elections. All disputes related to president’s election can only be challenged in Supreme Court.
Impeachment:
Impeachment of President details are explained under the Article 61. President can only be removed from the office in case of violation of the constitution. The impeachment process can be initiated in either of two houses(Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha). At least one fourth members of the house should be agree for impeachment of president in written by signing on a notice. Notice should be sent to President 14 days before taking it to the consideration.
Tenure of president of India, Indian President Tenure:
Tenure or term of Indian president is set as 5 years from the date of appointment as explained in the Indian Constitution Article 56. However, as per the Article 57, there is no upper limit mentioned for a person to become first citizen of India.
If president wants to resign from the office before the term’s end, then he/she has can submit resignation letter to vice-President of India.
In case if the post of president is vacant due to any reason then Vice president acts as president, if vice president is not available the Chief Justice of India, If chief justice is also not available then Senior most Supreme Court judge acts as the President.
Tip: Dr. Zakir Hussain was the only president who died in the office. He has shortest tenure as President.
Salary of Indian President:
The parliament settles the pay and allowances of the President. He directly gets a compensation of Rs. 1,50,000 every month along with different allowances.
Duties of President of India:
The chief responsibility of the President of India is to secure, protect and shield the Constitution and the laws of India. His activities, supervisory powers and suggestions on the legislative and official elements should be in understanding in order to maintain the Constitution.
Powers of President of India:
President of India powers are mentioned in the Article 52 of the Constitution. He/she has has many high decision making powers under various situations. The power of president of India can be divided in to various segments which are:
Power of Appointment
President has powers to remove or appoint high authorities from their offices such as to Prime Minister, Union ministers, Judges, States Governors, judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Attorney General and the governors of the state; all are appointed by the President.
Military powers
President is the supreme commander of all three defence segments, Army, Navy and Air Force are also appointed by the President. Chiefs of all three forces are appointed by the President. He can declare war or peace with other countries subjected to the approval of the Parliament.
Legislative Powers:
Using legislative powers, President can end or dissolve the session of either house of Parliament. He can also nominate 12 member to Rajya Sabha (Upper House) from various areas such as Art, literature, science, Social work and can nominate two members from Anglo-Indian Community to Lower House (Lok Sabha).
No bill can can be converted into law without the prior permission of President. He has the powers to send a bill back to parliament except Money Bill or Constitutional Amendment Bill for further changes.
As per the Article 123, President has powers to promulgate any ordinance whether the parliament session is going on or not.
Decisive Powers:
President can grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remission of punishments to suspend, remit or commute the sentence given to any person convicted with death sentence.
Emergency Powers:
President’s Emergency powers can be divided into national, state and financial emergencies.
National Emergencies can be declared by President in situations like war, armed rebellion or external aggressions. The national emergency can only be declared when Prime Minister and the cabinet recommends it in written.
State Emergency or President’s rule is implemented when the state machinery fails in a particular state or if the state government doesn’t work according to instructions of union Government.
Financial emergency is declared in the event when there is imbalance in financial conditions of a part or of the whole country. Two months approval of the Parliament is required in case of financial emergency.