DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.22459#0212
May 2.'), 19r>2
Two
iMimtlitttnn tTimrs
POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT
OF INDIA
Social sciences cannot
boast of universally appli-
cable laws, but to be called
as such they must evolve
some social laws which
are fairly recurrent and
operate in given social
circumstances Political
science as a social sci'ence,
too, has some fairly
generally applicable laws
and one of these laws is
that in the parliamentary
form of government, if
we have a head of the
state, howsoever powerful
legally and constitutionally
he may be, only the
dignified function of the
state is left to him, the
efficient functioning oi the
State falling to the council
of ministers.
The Indian President,
in whom is vested the
executive power of the
Union the command of
India's armed forces, who
has legislative powers of
a suspensive veto and of
proclaiming ordinances in
the absence of the Parlia-
ment, with his powers of
addressing, s u m m on i n g
proroguing and dissolving
the legislature; in whom
is also vested the power
of pardon reprieve and
........J.C KUNDRA.......
The election •/ the
President of fhe Republic
of India is just over. Sri
Rajendra Prasad, an emi-
nent son of India, ha*
been elected again to the
onerous post of the coun-
try's Chief Executive.
On this occasion it
would be interesting to
know what are the real
powers of our President.
In this article J. C. Kvn-
dra% Lecturer in Politics,
Patna College, discusses
the political, personal &
legal powers of the Presi-
dent.
remission of sentences,
who appoints several high
(lignites of the state inclu-
ding the Prime Minister
of India governors of
states, judges etc, who
can assume vast emergency
powers, whose recommen-
dation is 'necessary for
many bills and whose
powers are scattered all
over the Indian Constitu-
tion, is a fine example of
the truth of the law in
political science, which we
have just laid above. All
these vast powers resemble
the vast powers of the
British Crown which are
exercisable only by the
king’s ministers.
Indian presidentship
like the British Crown is
an institution with a
multitude of vast powers,
while the occupant of vast
office like the British king
watches the use made of
these enormous powers by
his ministers.
The Indian executive
like the British executive
is very powerful indeed,
but not the Indian Presi-
dent as a persen, whose
role in the working of
our constitution would b?
that of a highly, dignified
functionary, exercising his
personal inllu< nee here
and there, if he happens
to have any but always
relegated to a subordinate
role so far as tl.o efficient
branch of the functions
of government is con-
cerned.
When we are looking
for the powers of a poli-
tical head, we have to
look for his legal powers,
political and conventional
powers and personal pow ers
because, it is in the com-
bination of all these cate-
gories of powers that we
{Continued on page 6)
Two
iMimtlitttnn tTimrs
POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT
OF INDIA
Social sciences cannot
boast of universally appli-
cable laws, but to be called
as such they must evolve
some social laws which
are fairly recurrent and
operate in given social
circumstances Political
science as a social sci'ence,
too, has some fairly
generally applicable laws
and one of these laws is
that in the parliamentary
form of government, if
we have a head of the
state, howsoever powerful
legally and constitutionally
he may be, only the
dignified function of the
state is left to him, the
efficient functioning oi the
State falling to the council
of ministers.
The Indian President,
in whom is vested the
executive power of the
Union the command of
India's armed forces, who
has legislative powers of
a suspensive veto and of
proclaiming ordinances in
the absence of the Parlia-
ment, with his powers of
addressing, s u m m on i n g
proroguing and dissolving
the legislature; in whom
is also vested the power
of pardon reprieve and
........J.C KUNDRA.......
The election •/ the
President of fhe Republic
of India is just over. Sri
Rajendra Prasad, an emi-
nent son of India, ha*
been elected again to the
onerous post of the coun-
try's Chief Executive.
On this occasion it
would be interesting to
know what are the real
powers of our President.
In this article J. C. Kvn-
dra% Lecturer in Politics,
Patna College, discusses
the political, personal &
legal powers of the Presi-
dent.
remission of sentences,
who appoints several high
(lignites of the state inclu-
ding the Prime Minister
of India governors of
states, judges etc, who
can assume vast emergency
powers, whose recommen-
dation is 'necessary for
many bills and whose
powers are scattered all
over the Indian Constitu-
tion, is a fine example of
the truth of the law in
political science, which we
have just laid above. All
these vast powers resemble
the vast powers of the
British Crown which are
exercisable only by the
king’s ministers.
Indian presidentship
like the British Crown is
an institution with a
multitude of vast powers,
while the occupant of vast
office like the British king
watches the use made of
these enormous powers by
his ministers.
The Indian executive
like the British executive
is very powerful indeed,
but not the Indian Presi-
dent as a persen, whose
role in the working of
our constitution would b?
that of a highly, dignified
functionary, exercising his
personal inllu< nee here
and there, if he happens
to have any but always
relegated to a subordinate
role so far as tl.o efficient
branch of the functions
of government is con-
cerned.
When we are looking
for the powers of a poli-
tical head, we have to
look for his legal powers,
political and conventional
powers and personal pow ers
because, it is in the com-
bination of all these cate-
gories of powers that we
{Continued on page 6)