INDIAN CONSTITUTION: THE VICE PRESIDENT OF INDIA
The Vice President of India is the Second-Highest Constitutional Office in India, after the President.
Article 63 of Indian Constitution states that there shall be a Vice-President of India and he/she shall act as President in the absence of the President due to Death, Resignation, Impeachment, or other Situations.
The Vice President of India is also Ex-Officio Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha.
The Current Vice President is Mohammad Hamid Ansari, since 11 August 2007, and re-elected on 07 August 2012.
QUALIFING CRITERIA
- Must be a Citizen of India
- More that 35 years of Age
- Posses the Qualification of Membership of Rajya Sabha
- Not hold any office of profit under union, state of local authority. However, for this purpose, the President, Vice-President, Governor of a State and a Minister of the Union or a State, are not held to be holding an office of profit
THE ELECTION PROCESS
Article 66 of the Indian Constitution states the Manner of Election of the Vice-President.
- The Vice-President is Elected Indirectly by Members of an Electoral College consisting of the members of Both Houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of Proportional Representation by means of the Single transferable vote and the voting is by secret ballot.
- The Election of the Vice President is slightly different from the election of the President as the members of State Legislatures are not part of the Electoral College for the Vice Presidential election.
- The Nomination of a candidate for election to the office of the Vice President must be subscribed by at least 20 Electors as Proposers and 20 Electors as seconders.
- Every candidate has to make a security deposit of Rs.15,000 in the Reserve Bank of India.
- The Vice-President may resign his office by submitting his resignation to the President. The resignation becomes effective from the day it is accepted.
TERM AND EMOLUMENTS
- The Vice President holds office for Five years.
- He/she can be re-elected Any Number of Times.
- There is no provision for the Salary of the Vice President of India in that capacity. He/She gets the salary in his capacity as the Ex-Officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), which is currently Rs. 1,25,000 per month. In addition, he/she is entitled to daily allowance, free furnished residence, medical, travel and other facilities.
- The constitution provides that when the Ex-Officio Vice President acts as the President or discharges the duties of the President, he/she is entitled to the salary and privileges of the President.
- The pension for the Vice-President is 50% of the salary.
THE REMOVAL
- The Vice President cannot be formally impeached, unlike the President.
- The Constitution states that the Vice President can be removed by a resolution of the Rajya Sabha passed by an effective majority (more than 50% of effective membership(total membership - Vacant seats)) and agreed to by a simple majority (50% of present and voting members) of the Lok Sabha (Article 67(b)).
- But no such resolution may be moved unless at least 14 days advance notice has been given. Notably, the Constitution does not list grounds for removal.