Editing President of India (section)

== Important presidential interventions in the past ==
The president's role as defender of the constitution and the powers as Head of State, especially in relation to those exercised by the prime minister as leader of the government, have changed over time. In particular, Presidents have made a number of interventions into government and lawmaking, which have established and challenged some conventions concerning presidential intervention.

=== Proving majority in the parliament ===
{{Main|Vote of confidence}}

In 1979, Prime Minister [[Charan Singh]], did not enjoy a parliamentary majority. He responded to this by simply not advising the president to summon parliament.<ref name="Darpan2007" /> Since then, presidents have been more diligent in directing incoming Prime Ministers to convene parliament and prove their majority within reasonable deadlines (2 to 3 weeks). In the interim period, the Prime Ministers are generally restrained from making policy decisions.

=== Proof of Majority to form a Government ===
Since the 1990s, Parliamentary elections have generally not resulted in a single party or group of parties having a distinct majority, until the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when BJP received a clear majority. In such cases, presidents have used their discretion and directed prime ministerial aspirants to establish their credentials before being invited to form the government. Typically, the aspirants have been asked to produce letters from various party leaders, with the signatures of all the MPs who are pledging support to their candidature. This is in addition to the requirement that a prime minister proves he has the support of the [[Lok Sabha]] (by a vote on the floor of the house) within weeks of being sworn into office.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2005/11/10/stories/2005111003281400.htm|title=K.R. Narayanan – President who defied stereotype|last=Subrahmaniam|first=Vidya|date=10 November 2005|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=15 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722044512/http://hindu.com/2005/11/10/stories/2005111003281400.htm|archive-date=22 July 2012|url-status=dead|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref name="Manmohan PM">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/20/stories/2004052007550100.htm|title=President appoints Manmohan Prime Minister|date=20 May 2004|access-date=15 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603070838/http://www.hindu.com/2004/05/20/stories/2004052007550100.htm|archive-date=3 June 2012|url-status=dead|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref>

=== Vetoing of a Bill ===
{{See also|Pocket veto|Zail Singh}}

Since the Indian constitution does not provide any time limit within which the president is to declare their assent or refusal, the president could exercise a "pocket veto" by not taking any action for an indefinite time. The veto was used in 1986 by President [[Zail Singh]] over the Postal Bill. The president did not give assent to the bill, arguing that its scope was too sweeping and would give the government [[arbitrary power]]s to intercept postal communications indiscriminately.<ref name="Bhardwaj" /><ref name="Presidential Years of Zail Singh">{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?202610|title=Presidential Years|last=Sundar Rajan|first=K.T.|date=4 December 1996|work=Outlook|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120603054921/http://outlookindia.com/article.aspx?202610|archive-date=3 June 2012|url-status=live|access-date=13 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Show of Dissent">{{cite web|url=http://archives.digitaltoday.in/indiatoday/20060612/nation5.html|title=Show of Dissent|last=Bhattacharjya|first=Satarupa|date=12 June 2006|work=[[India Today]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326055411/http://archives.digitaltoday.in/indiatoday/20060612/nation5.html|archive-date=26 March 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=13 June 2012}}</ref>

=== Rashtrapati Bhavan Communiqués ===
In the late 1990s, President [[K. R. Narayanan]] introduced a modicum of transparency and openness in the functioning of the President. This was by means of Rashtrapati Bhavan Communiqués explaining, to the nation, the thinking that led to the various decisions he took while exercising their discretionary powers.<ref name="ram_int">[http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/nic/narayanankr.pdf Interview] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203201144/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/nic/narayanankr.pdf|date=3 February 2006}} with K. R. Narayanan on Independence day, 15 August 1998; by [[N. Ram]], editor, [[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] ["K. R. Narayanan in conversation with N. Ram", ''The Hindu'', 10 November 2005. Retrieved 24 February 2006].</ref>

=== Return of a Bill ===
{{See also|Office of profit}}

The constitution gives the president the power to return a bill unsigned but it circumscribes the power to send it back only once for reconsideration. If the parliament sends back the bill with or without changes, the president is obliged to sign it. In mid-2006, President [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]] sent back a controversial bill regarding the exclusion of certain offices from the scope of 'offices of profit', the holding of which would disqualify a person from being a member of parliament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kalam-returns-office-of-profit-bill/11851-4.html|title=Kalam returns Office of Profit Bill|date=31 May 2006|publisher=[[CNN-IBN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620221052/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/kalam-returns-office-of-profit-bill/11851-4.html|archive-date=20 June 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> The combined opposition, the [[National Democratic Alliance (India)|NDA]], hailed the move. The UPA chose to send the bill back to the president without any changes and, after 17 days, Kalam gave his assent on 18 August 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/dateline-india/signing-office-of-profit-bill-was-toughest-decision-a-p-j-kalam/articleshow/6182455.cms|title=Signing office of profit bill was toughest decision:A P J Kalam|date=18 July 2010|newspaper=The Economic Times|access-date=2 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511055231/http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/features/dateline-india/signing-office-of-profit-bill-was-toughest-decision-a-p-j-kalam/articleshow/6182455.cms|archive-date=11 May 2013|url-status=live|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Kalam-erred-on-Office-of-Profit-bill/articleshow/2970756.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511070652/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2008-04-22/india/27743198_1_assent-comprehensive-criteria-office-of-profit-bill|url-status=live|archive-date=11 May 2013|title=Kalam erred on Office of Profit bill|date=22 April 2008|access-date=2 May 2012|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|agency=Press Trust of India}}</ref>

=== Sacking state governors ===
{{See also|Governors of states of India}}
[[Arunachal Pradesh]] governor [[Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa]], who was earlier appointed by the ruling party at the centre, was sacked by President [[Pranab Mukherjee]] after the Supreme Court struck down his unconstitutional acts.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jyoti-prasad-rajkhowa-removed-as-arunachal-pradesh-governor-report-1457717|title=Arunachal Pradesh Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa Sacked|access-date=12 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913155231/http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/jyoti-prasad-rajkhowa-removed-as-arunachal-pradesh-governor-report-1457717|archive-date=13 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>