If the President of India wishes to resign, he addresses his letter of resignation to the:

Under Article 56(1)(a), the President may resign his office by writing under his hand addressed to the Vice-President.

What happens after the resignation:

• The Vice-President must communicate the resignation without delay to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
• An election to fill the vacancy must be held as soon as possible, and in any case within six months of the vacancy.
• The person elected holds office for a full term from the date he enters office.

Who discharges the President's functions in the meantime:

• When the office of President falls vacant, the Vice-President acts as President until a new President is elected.
• While acting as President, the Vice-President does not perform the duties of Chairman of the Rajya Sabha; the Deputy Chairman presides instead.
• He gets the salary and privileges of the President during this period.

Resignation of other high officials:

• The Vice-President resigns by writing to the President.
• The Speaker of the Lok Sabha resigns by writing to the Deputy Speaker.
• Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts resign by writing to the President.
• Governors resign by writing to the President.
• Ministers submit their resignation to the Prime Minister, who forwards it to the President.

Term and removal of the President:

• The President's term is counted from the date he enters office.
• He is eligible for re-election.
• He can be removed before the end of his term only by impeachment.

Why resignation goes to the Vice-President:

The Vice-President is the person who takes over the President's functions when the office falls vacant.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister and the Speaker do not receive the President's resignation.