Vice President of India

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
(Redirected from Vice-President of India)
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right click here to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)



Vice President of India
Bhārat kē Uparāṣṭrapati
Emblem of India.svg
Flag of India.svg
Vice President Shri Jagdeep Dhankar official portrait.jpg
Incumbent
Jagdeep Dhankhar

since 11 August 2022
StyleThe Honourable (formal)
Mr. Vice President (informal)
His Excellency (in diplomatic correspondence)
StatusSecond in the order of precedence
AbbreviationVP
ResidenceUpa-Rashtrapati Nivas, New Delhi, Delhi, India
AppointerElectoral College of India
Term lengthFive years
Renewable
Constituting instrumentConstitution of India (Article 63)
PrecursorHeir apparent of the Monarch of India
Inaugural holderSarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1952–1962)
Formation13 May 1952; 71 years ago (1952-05-13)
Salary400,000 (US$5,600) per month[1]
Websitevicepresidentofindia.nic.in

The vice president of India (IAST: Bhārat kē Uparāṣṭrapati) is the deputy to the head of state of the Republic of India, i.e. the president of India. The office of vice president is the second-highest constitutional office after the president and ranks second in the order of precedence and first in the line of succession to the presidency. The vice president is also the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

Article 66 of the Constitution of India states the manner of election of the vice president. The vice president is elected indirectly by members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both Houses of Parliament and not the members of state legislative assembly by the system of proportional representation using single transferable votes and the voting is conducted by Election Commission of India via secret ballot.[2] The vice president also acts as the chancellor of the central universities of India.[3]

Jagdeep Dhankhar of the Bharatiya Janata Party is the current vice president. He became vice president after defeating Indian National Congress candidate Margaret Alva in the 2022 Indian vice presidential election.[4]

Election, oath and term[edit]

Qualifications[edit]

As in the case of the president, to be qualified to be elected as vice president, a person must:[5]

  • Be a citizen of India.
  • Be at least 35 years of age.
  • Not hold any office of profit.

Unlike in the case of the president, where a person member of the Lok Sabha, the vice president must be qualified for election as a member of the Rajya Sabha.[6] This difference is because the vice president is to act as the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha. At a time the vice president acts in either of two capacities (i.e. chairman of the Rajya Sabha or president of India); he cannot act in both offices simultaneously.

Election[edit]

The vice president is elected indirectly, by an electoral college consisting of members (elected as well as nominated) of both Houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha) , by the system of proportional representation using single transferable votes and the voting is by secret ballot. The election of the vice president is slightly different from the election of the president as the members of state legislatures are not part of the electoral college but the nominated members of Rajya Sabha are part of it.

The nomination of a candidate for election to the office of the vice president must be subscribed by at least 20 electors as proposers and 20 electors as seconders. Every candidate has to make a security deposit of 15,000 (US$210) in the Reserve Bank of India.

The Election Commission of India, which is a constitutional autonomous body, conducts the election. The election is to be held no later than 60 days of the expiry of the term of office of the outgoing vice president. A returning officer is appointed for the election, usually the secretary-general of either House of Parliament, by rotation. The returning officer issues a public notice of the intended election, inviting nomination of candidates. Any person qualified to be elected and intending to stand for election is required to be nominated by at least twenty members of Parliament as proposers, and at least twenty other members of Parliament as seconders. The nomination papers are scrutinized by the returning officer, and the names of all eligible candidates are added to the ballot.

The election is held via proportional representation using single transferable votes by secret ballot. Voters stack-rank the candidates, assigning 1 to their first preference, 2 to their second preference, and so on. The number of votes required by a candidate to secure the election is calculated by dividing the total number of valid cast votes by two and adding one to the quotient by disregarding any remainder. If no candidate obtains the required number of first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes is eliminated and his or her second-preference votes are transferred. The process is repeated until a candidate obtains the requisite number of votes. Nominated members can also participate in the election.[7]

After the election has been held and the votes counted, the returning officer declares the result of the election to the electoral college. Thereafter, the returning officer reports the result to the Government of India (Ministry of Law and Justice) and the Election Commission of India, and the government publishes the name of the person elected as vice president, in the Official Gazette.

The vice president may resign office by submitting a letter of resignation to the president. The resignation becomes effective from the day it is accepted.

If the Vice president resigns then the vacant post has to be filled as soon as possible whereas in the case of President, election has to be held within 6 months.

Election disputes[edit]

All disputes arising in connection with the election of the vice president are petitioned to the Supreme Court of India, which inquires into the matter. The petition is heard by a five-member bench of the Supreme Court, which decides on the matter. The decision of the Supreme Court is final.[7]

The Supreme Court inquires into and decides upon all doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with the election of the vice president per Article 71(1) of the constitution. The Supreme Court can remove the vice president for committing electoral malpractices or upon being ineligible to be a Rajya Sabha member under the Representation of the People Act, 1951.[8] Subject to Article 71 (3), Parliament has made applicable rules or procedure to petition the Supreme Court for resolving the disputes that arise only during the election process of the vice president but not the doubts that arise from his unconstitutional actions or deeds or changing citizenship during his tenure which may violate the requisite election qualifications.[9] The Supreme Court shall also expeditiously decide any doubt raised by which the elected vice president could be ineligible to be a Rajya Sabha member for the unconstitutional acts committed before becoming vice president. Under Article 71(1), it is the responsibility of the Supreme Court to inquire and decide about the so-called unconstitutional acts committed by the vice president such as turning down the notice of the Rajya Sabha members to impeach the chief justice of India and other judges of Supreme Court and High Courts per Article 124(4) and Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 or allowing a bill passed under simple majority instead of procedure applicable to constitutional amendment or falsely declaring a bill passed.[10][11]

Oath or affirmation[edit]

Article 69 of the Constitution of India provides for the oath or affirmation for the office of vice president as follows:-
"I, A.B., do swear in the name of God /solemnly affirm that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established and that I will discharge the duty upon which I am about to enter."
The president administers the oath of office and secrecy to the vice president.

Term[edit]

The vice president holds office for five years. The vice president can be re-elected any number of times. However, the office may be terminated earlier by death, resignation, or removal. The Constitution does not provide a mechanism of succession to the office of vice president in the event of an extraordinary vacancy, apart from re-election. However, the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha can perform the vice president's duties as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha in such an event.

However, when the president dies in office and vice president takes over as president, the vice president can continue serving as the president for a maximum of 6 months within which a new president shall be elected.

Removal[edit]

The Constitution states that the vice president can be removed by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed by an effective majority (majority of all the then members) and agreed by the Lok Sabha with a simple majority (Article 67(b)).[6] But no such resolution may be moved unless at least 14 days notice in advance has been given. Notably, the Constitution does not list grounds for removal. No vice president has ever faced removal or the chairman in the Rajya Sabha cannot be challenged in any court of law per Article 122[12]

The Supreme Court can also remove the vice president for committing electoral malpractices and not fulfilling the eligibility criteria for Rajya Sabha while in the office per Article 71(1) of the constitution. Per Article 71(1), the Supreme Court also must examine the doubts raised in connection with the conduct of a vice president and remove the vice president if found committing contempt of the Constitution.

Salary and pension[edit]

There is no provision for the salary of the vice president of India in that capacity. The vice president receives a salary in the capacity of the ex officio chairman of the Rajya Sabha, which is currently 400,000 (US$5,600) per month (revised from 125,000 in 2018). In addition, the vice president is entitled to a daily allowance, free furnished residence, medical, travel, and other facilities. The constitution provides that when the vice president acts as the president or discharges the duties of the president, the vice president is entitled to the salary and privileges of the president. The pension for the vice president is 50% of the salary.[13] In fact, he is the only official who does not get any salary and emoluments of his designated post (i.e. vice president).

List of vice presidents of India[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. "President, Vice President, Governors' salaries hiked to Rs 5 lakh, respectively". www.timesnownews.com.
  2. "Central Government Act: Article 66 in The Constitution Of India 1949". indiankanoon.org.
  3. "Profile | Vice President of India | Government of India". vicepresidentofindia.nic.in. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  4. "Jagdeep Dhankhar: 10 things to know about India's new Vice President". Livemint. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  5. "ELECTION TO PRESIDENT OF INDIA" (PDF). Election Commission of India. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access-datje= ignored (help)
  6. 6.0 6.1 "THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF INDIA AND THE CONSTITUTION". Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Election of the Vice President". 164.100.47.5.
  8. "Sections 7 & 8k, The representation of the people act, 1951" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  9. "Sections 13 to 20, The Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Act, 1952". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  10. "Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu rejects opposition notice for removal of chief justice Dipak Misra". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  11. Rajagopal, Krishnadas (24 April 2018). "Speaker must act as 'reasonable man'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 16 February 2020. the Constitution Bench held that though it is the "individual discretion" of the Speaker or the Chairman to admit or refuse a motion, this discretion is expected to be of a "reasonable man" who acts with a "high degree of responsibility"
  12. "Interpretation of Article 122 by the Supreme Court". Retrieved 3 August 2017.
  13. "The Vice President's Pension Act of 1997" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. 9 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.

External links[edit]