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Question 50 of 60 · Constitutional & Statutory Bodies
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The President of India may be removed from office by impeachment only on the ground of:

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Answer: Option B — Violation of the Constitution

Detailed Solution

Under Article 61, the President can be removed from office by impeachment for "violation of the Constitution". This is the only ground mentioned.

The term is not defined:

  • The Constitution does not define what amounts to "violation of the Constitution".
  • It is left to Parliament to decide in impeachment proceedings.

Procedure in brief:

  • Impeachment can start in either House of Parliament.
  • The resolution must be moved after 14 days' written notice signed by at least one-fourth of the members of that House.
  • It must be passed by a majority of two-thirds of the total membership of the House.
  • The other House investigates the charges, and the President can defend himself.
  • If the other House also passes the resolution by a two-thirds majority of its total membership, the President stands removed.

Nature of impeachment:

  • It is a quasi-judicial process carried out by Parliament.
  • Both elected and nominated members of Parliament take part.
  • Members of state assemblies, who take part in electing the President, do not take part in impeachment.

History:

No President of India has been impeached so far.

Comparison with other high officials:

  • Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts are removed on grounds stated differently in the Constitution, through an address by both Houses of Parliament.
  • The Vice-President is removed by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha agreed to by the Lok Sabha, and no specific ground is mentioned.
  • The President of the United States can be impeached for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors".

Immunity of the President:

  • Under Article 361, the President is not answerable to any court for the exercise of his powers and duties.
  • No criminal proceedings can be started against him during his term.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Conviction in a criminal case and ill health are not listed as grounds for impeachment.
  • ✗The President does not depend on the confidence of the Lok Sabha.

Quick tip

Remember: President's impeachment = only ground is "violation of the Constitution" (Article 61); not defined in the Constitution.

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Constitutional & Statutory Bodies — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Constitutional & Statutory Bodies, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers bodies set up under the Constitution, such as the Election Commission, UPSC, Finance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor General and the national commissions for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and statutory or executive bodies such as NITI Aayog, the NHRC, the CVC, the CBI and Lokpal. Questions often ask whether a body is constitutional or not, which article creates it, who appoints its head and for how long. For example, the CAG is appointed under Article 148, the Finance Commission under Article 280, and NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015 by an executive resolution. Practise the constitutional and statutory bodies questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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