President & VP — Set 8

Correct Answer: C. 35 years

• **Minimum age 35 for VP** = Article 66 requires the VP candidate to be at least 35 years old — same as the President; this age is higher than for either Lok Sabha (25) or Rajya Sabha (30) membership. • **Age comparison table** — Lok Sabha member: 25 years; Rajya Sabha member: 30 years; President and Vice-President: 35 years; Governor: 35 years. • 💡 Option A (30 years) is the minimum age for Rajya Sabha membership — the VP must meet RS qualification but needs to be 35, not 30. Option B (25 years) is the minimum age for Lok Sabha membership — far lower than what is required for VP. Option D (40 years) is not the minimum age for any Indian constitutional office — 40 is a common distractor with no constitutional basis.

Correct Answer: B. Chief Justice of India

• **CJI administers Presidential oath** = Article 60 prescribes that the President shall make and subscribe an oath before the Chief Justice of India; in CJI's absence, the senior-most SC judge officiates. • **Exact oath words** — the President swears (or affirms) to 'faithfully execute the office' and to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law' — the only constitutional oath using these specific words. • 💡 Option A (Vice-President) receives the Presidential resignation but does NOT administer the Presidential oath — these two roles are distinctly separate. Option C (Speaker) administers the oath to Lok Sabha members, not the President. Option D (Prime Minister) takes oath from the President — it is the reverse; the President's oath is given by the CJI.

Correct Answer: B. Vice-President

• **President resigns to VP (Article 56)** = the President's resignation letter must be addressed to the Vice-President; only then is the resignation constitutionally valid. • **VP's duty** — upon receiving the resignation, the VP must immediately communicate it to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha; this triggers the 6-month election clock. • 💡 Option A (Chief Justice) administers the Presidential oath but is not the recipient of the resignation; the CJI plays no role in the resignation process. Option C (Prime Minister) is the head of government but is not constitutionally designated to receive the Presidential resignation. Option D (Speaker) is the final recipient of notification from the VP but is NOT the person the President directly addresses the resignation to.

Correct Answer: A. Violation of the Constitution

• **Sole impeachment ground** = Article 61 specifies 'violation of the Constitution' as the only ground for impeaching the President; no other ground — including corruption, incapacity, or treason — is explicitly mentioned. • **Parliament decides the scope** — the Constitution deliberately left the phrase undefined; it is a political process and Parliament determines what constitutes a 'violation'. • 💡 Option B (Treason) is a ground for removal in the US Constitution but is NOT specified in the Indian Constitution's impeachment provision — only 'violation of the Constitution' is mentioned. Option C (Incapacity) is not a ground for impeachment — if the President is incapacitated, the VP acts; but the President is not removed for incapacity through impeachment. Option D (Corruption) is also NOT a listed ground — the Constitution specifies only constitutional violation.

Correct Answer: B. Either House of Parliament

• **Either House can initiate impeachment** = Article 61 allows the impeachment process to begin in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha — there is no fixed house for Presidential impeachment. • **Contrast with VP removal** — the VP's removal resolution can only be introduced in the Rajya Sabha; this is a key distinction. • 💡 Option A (Supreme Court) is the judicial branch — it adjudicates Presidential election disputes (Art. 71) but does not conduct or initiate Presidential impeachment. Option C (Rajya Sabha only) applies to VP removal — not Presidential impeachment; for the President, either House can initiate. Option D (Lok Sabha only) is also incorrect — charges can originate in either House for Presidential impeachment.

Correct Answer: C. 50 electors

• **50 proposers + 50 seconders** = for a Presidential nomination to be valid, it must be subscribed by at least 50 electors as proposers AND 50 electors as seconders. • **Security deposit ₹15,000** — along with the 50+50 requirement, the candidate must deposit ₹15,000 with the RBI; deposit is forfeited if less than 1/6th of valid votes secured. • 💡 Option A (10 electors) is the number required for some state assembly nominations — far too low for the Presidential level. Option B (100 electors) doubles the actual requirement — the rule says 50 proposers (and separately 50 seconders), not 100 proposers. Option D (20 electors) is insufficient — the law requires 50 proposers, not 20.

Correct Answer: A. Rajya Sabha

• **VP = Ex-officio Chairman of Rajya Sabha** = Article 64 makes the Vice-President the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha by virtue of holding the office of VP — it is an automatic, ex-officio role. • **Salary drawn as Chairman** — since the Constitution provides no separate VP salary, the VP's compensation is drawn as Chairman of Rajya Sabha; when acting as President, the President's salary is drawn instead. • 💡 Option B (NITI Aayog) is chaired by the Prime Minister — the VP has no official role in NITI Aayog. Option C (Lok Sabha) is chaired by the Speaker of Lok Sabha — the VP has absolutely no role in Lok Sabha proceedings. Option D (Zonal Council) is chaired by the Home Minister of India — not the VP; the VP is not involved in Zonal Councils.

Correct Answer: D. Effective Majority

• **Effective majority in Rajya Sabha** = the VP removal resolution must be passed by an effective majority — majority of the then-total members of the Rajya Sabha (accounts for vacancies, not just those present). • **Simple majority in Lok Sabha** — the Lok Sabha needs only to agree with a simple majority; the Lok Sabha does not initiate the resolution, only concurs. • 💡 Option A (Absolute Majority) means more than 50% of all members — while similar to effective majority, the precise term for VP removal is 'effective majority' which specifically accounts for current vacancies. Option B (Special Majority) means 2/3rd of members present and voting + majority of total membership — this is the higher bar used for Constitutional Amendments, not VP removal. Option C (Simple Majority) applies to Lok Sabha's concurrence — not the Rajya Sabha's resolution itself, which requires effective majority.

Correct Answer: D. Pratibha Patil

• **Pratibha Patil** = 12th President of India (2007–2012), the first woman to hold the office; she was also the first woman Governor of Rajasthan before becoming President. • **Droupadi Murmu (15th President)** = elected in 2022, she is the second woman President and the first person from a Scheduled Tribe (Santali community) to become President. • 💡 Option A (Indira Gandhi) was the first woman Prime Minister of India, not the first woman President — she held executive power as PM, not the ceremonial Presidential role. Option B (Sarojini Naidu) was the first woman Governor of a state (UP, 1947) and was never President. Option C (Droupadi Murmu) is the second woman President (2022), not the first — Pratibha Patil was the first in 2007.

Correct Answer: D. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

• **Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam** = 11th President of India (2002–2007), known as the 'Missile Man of India' for his pioneering contributions to India's ballistic missile and space programmes. • **Scientist-President** — Kalam was the chief scientist behind India's Agni and Prithvi missiles and played a key role in the 1998 Pokhran nuclear tests; Bharat Ratna awardee (1997). • 💡 Option A (Vikram Sarabhai) was the father of India's space programme — not a President; he founded ISRO. Option B (Homi Bhabha) was the father of India's nuclear programme — never a President. Option C (R. Chidambaram) was a nuclear physicist involved in Pokhran tests — not a President.