Polity
Union Executive
Union Executive — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Union Executive: President, Vice-President, PM, Council of Ministers and Attorney General in tables.
Part V, Chapter I (Articles 52–78) on one page: articles, majorities, amendments, cases and office-holders. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
Article by Article
| Article | Content |
|---|---|
| 52 | There shall be a President of India |
| 53 | Executive power of the Union vested in the President; supreme command of Defence Forces (53(2)) |
| 54 | Electoral college: elected MPs + elected MLAs (incl. Delhi, Puducherry) |
| 55 | Manner of election: uniformity and parity; STV, secret ballot |
| 56 | Term 5 years; resignation to the Vice-President |
| 57 | Eligible for re-election |
| 58 | Qualifications: citizen, 35, qualified for Lok Sabha |
| 59 | Conditions: not a legislator; no office of profit; emoluments not reduced during term |
| 60 | Oath by the Chief Justice of India |
| 61 | Impeachment: violation of the Constitution; 1/4 signatures, 14 days, 2/3 of total membership in each House |
| 62 | Vacancy filled within 6 months; new President gets a full term |
| 63–64 | Vice-President; ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha |
| 65 | VP acts as President during a vacancy or absence |
| 66 | VP election by all MPs (elected + nominated); qualified for Rajya Sabha |
| 67 | VP term 5 years; resigns to the President; removal by RS effective majority + LS agreement |
| 69 | VP’s oath by the President |
| 71 | Election disputes: Supreme Court |
| 72 | Pardoning power |
| 74 | Council of Ministers to aid and advise; 74(2) advice not justiciable |
| 75 | PM and ministers: appointment, 15% cap (75(1A)), collective responsibility (75(3)), 6-month rule (75(5)) |
| 76 | Attorney General |
| 77 | Conduct of business in the President’s name |
| 78 | PM’s duty to inform the President |
| 88 | Ministers and AG may speak in both Houses; AG cannot vote |
| 111 | Assent to Bills; veto |
| 123 | Ordinance |
| 143 | Advisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court |
| 361 | Immunity of the President and Governors |
Amendments to Remember
| Amendment | Change |
|---|---|
| 11th (1961) | Presidential/VP election not invalid because of vacancies in the electoral college |
| 24th (1971) | President must assent to Constitutional Amendment Bills |
| 38th (1975) | President’s satisfaction for ordinances made final (later undone) |
| 42nd (1976) | Ministerial advice made binding on the President |
| 44th (1978) | President may return advice once; ordinance satisfaction justiciable again; “Cabinet” inserted in Art 352 |
| 70th (1992) | Delhi and Puducherry MLAs added to the presidential electoral college |
| 84th (2001) | 1971 Census population frozen (for vote values) until the first Census after 2026 |
| 91st (2003) | 15% cap on ministries (Union and States, State minimum 12); defectors barred from ministerial office |
| 104th (2019) | Anglo-Indian nomination to the Lok Sabha not extended; ended January 2020 |
Majorities and Procedures
| Procedure | Requirement |
|---|---|
| President’s election | Quota: more than half of valid votes by value, via STV |
| President’s impeachment | 2/3 of total membership of each House; nominated MPs vote, MLAs do not |
| VP’s removal | Effective majority in Rajya Sabha + simple majority in Lok Sabha; no grounds; only in RS |
| No-confidence motion | Lok Sabha only; admitted with 50 members’ support |
| Suspensive veto override | Simple majority on re-passage |
| Ordinance life | 6 weeks after reassembly (max about 6 months + 6 weeks) |
Landmark Cases
| Case | Year | Point |
|---|---|---|
| R.C. Cooper | 1970 | Ordinance satisfaction can be challenged for mala fides |
| Shamsher Singh | 1974 | President and Governors act on ministerial advice |
| Maru Ram | 1980 | Pardon power exercised on advice |
| D.C. Wadhwa | 1987 | Re-promulgation of ordinances is a fraud on the Constitution |
| Kehar Singh | 1989 | No right to oral hearing in mercy petitions |
| S.P. Anand v. Deve Gowda | 1996 | Non-member can be PM for six months |
| Epuru Sudhakar | 2006 | Limited judicial review of pardons |
| Shatrughan Chauhan | 2014 | Inordinate delay in mercy petitions is a ground for commutation |
| Krishna Kumar Singh | 2017 | Seven judges; re-promulgation a fraud; ordinances reviewable |
| Presidential reference on assent | 20 Nov 2025 | No court-imposed timelines for President or Governors; no “deemed assent” |
Office-holders and Records (as of 2026)
| Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| President | Droupadi Murmu, 15th President, since 25 July 2022; first from a Scheduled Tribe |
| 2022 vote values | MP 700; Chhattisgarh MLA 129 |
| Elected twice | Only Dr. Rajendra Prasad |
| CJI as acting President | Only M. Hidayatullah (1969) |
| Pocket veto | Zail Singh, Indian Post Office (Amendment) Bill, 1986 |
| Vice-President | C.P. Radhakrishnan, 15th VP, elected 9 Sept 2025 (452 vs 300), sworn in 12 Sept 2025 |
| Previous VP | Jagdeep Dhankhar; first-ever removal notice (Dec 2024, rejected); resigned 21 July 2025 (Art 67(a)) |
| First VP | Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (two terms) |
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi, third term from 9 June 2024 |
| Council sworn in June 2024 | 72 incl. PM (30 Cabinet, 5 MoS IC, 36 MoS); Chhattisgarh: Tokhan Sahu, MoS Housing and Urban Affairs |
| Attorney General | R. Venkataramani (from Oct 2022; re-appointed to 30 Sept 2027) |
| Solicitor General | Tushar Mehta (since Oct 2018; re-appointed from July 2026) |
| First AG | M.C. Setalvad (1950–63) |
| Emoluments (2018) | President ₹5 lakh/month; VP ₹4 lakh/month (as RS Chairman) |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| President: elected MPs + elected MLAs | vs | VP: all MPs, no MLAs |
| President qualified for Lok Sabha | vs | VP qualified for Rajya Sabha |
| President resigns to VP; oath by CJI | vs | VP resigns to President; oath by President |
| Impeachment (President, Art 61) | vs | Removal (VP, Art 67(b)) |
| Art 72 (President): court martial, pardons death sentence | vs | Art 161 (Governor): no court martial, can only commute death sentence |
| 42nd: advice binding | vs | 44th: return advice once |
| Council of Ministers (Arts 74–75) | vs | Cabinet (only Art 352) |
| Collective responsibility to Lok Sabha | vs | Individual responsibility to President |
| Attorney General (Art 76, constitutional) | vs | Solicitor General (not constitutional) |
| Attorney General (Art 76, President) | vs | Advocate General (Art 165, Governor) |
Favourite MCQ trap
“Nominated members of Parliament take part in the election of the President.” Wrong. They cannot vote for the President, but they can vote for the Vice-President and can take part in the President’s impeachment.
Second favourite trap
“The 15% ceiling on the Union Council of Ministers is calculated on the strength of both Houses and excludes the Prime Minister.” Wrong on both counts. It is 15% of the Lok Sabha, and it includes the PM.
Advertisement