Article 63 of the Constitution of India provides that there shall be a Vice President of India. Articles 64 and 89(1) provides that the Vice President of India shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Council of States, i.e., Rajya Sabha and shall not hold any other office of profit. In the constitutional set-up, the holder of the office of Vice-President is part of the Executive but as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he is a part of the Parliament. To be qualified for election as Vice-President, Article 66(3) says a person should be citizen of India, should have completed the age of 35 years and should be qualified to be elected as a member of Rajya Sabha.
“The Vice-President gets 1,25,000 per month and all other amenities. “The Vice-President is elected by the members of an electoral college consisting of the members of both the Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. “The voting at such election is done through secret ballot. All doubts and disputes arising out of or in connection with the election of the Vice-President can be looked into and decided only by the Supreme Court of India whose decision is final. “The Vice-President holds office for a period of five years from the date on which he enters upon his office.
He may, however, resign from his office by writing a resignation letter in his hand, addressed to the President of India. He may also be removed from his office by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed by a majority of all the then members of the Rajya Sabha and agreed to by the Lok Sabha. At least fourteen days’ notice is necessary before such a resolution is moved. Notwithstanding the expiration of his term, the Vice-President continues in office till his successor assumes office (Article 67).
Under Article 65 of the Constitution of India, the Vice President acts as President in the event of a vacancy occurring due to death, resignation or removal of the President, or otherwise. “The Vice-President reverts to his office when the new President is elected and enters upon his office. When the President is unable to act owing to his absence, illness or any other reason, the Vice-President discharges the President’s functions for a temporary period until the President resumes his duties. When the Vice-President acts as, or discharges the functions of the President, he has all the powers and immunities of the President and is entitled to the same emoluments as of the President (Article 65).
However, during this period he does not perform the duties of the office of the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Article 64) and then the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha acts as its Chairman. As the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the Vice-President presides over the meetings of the House. As the Presiding Officer, the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha is the unchallenged guardian of the prestige and dignity of the House. He is also the principal spokesman of the House and represents the collective voice to the outside world. He ensures that the proceedings of the House are conducted in accordance with the relevant constitutional provisions, rules, practices and conventions and that decorum is maintained in the House. He is the custodian and guardian of the rights and privileges of the House.
The Vice-Presidents of India
- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan -13 May 1952’12 May 1962
- Dr. Zakir Hussain- 13 May 1962’12 May 1967
- Shri Varahagiri Venkatagir- i 13 May 1967′ 3 May 1969
- Dr. Gopal Swarup Pathak 31 August 1969’30 August, 1974
- Shri B.D. Jatti 31 August 1974’30 August, 1979
- Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah 31 August 1979’30 August, 1984
- Shri R. Venkatsuiraman 31 August 1984’24 July, 1987
- Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma 3 September, 1987’24 July, 1992
- Shri K.R. Narayanan 21 August, 1992’24 July, 1997
- Shri Krishan Kant 21 August, 1997’27 July, 2002
- Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat 19 August, 2002’21 July, 2007
- Shri Mohammad Hamid Ansari, also re-elected in 2012 August 10, 2007 till August 10, 2017
- Shri Vennkaiah Naidu August 11, 2017 till date
