Under the 44th Amendment, the President may once require the Council of Ministers to reconsider its advice, but must accept the advice when it is tendered again.
The 91st Amendment limits the Council of Ministers to 15% of the strength of the Lok Sabha. With 543 members, this permits about 81 ministers including the Prime Minister. The amendment also strengthened the anti-defection law.
Article 78 requires the Prime Minister to inform the President about Cabinet decisions and provide any information sought by the President. This is an important constitutional obligation.
NITI Aayog replaced the Planning Commission in 2015. The Prime Minister is its ex officio Chairperson, while a separate Vice-Chairperson is appointed.
| # | Prime Minister | Tenure | Notable Fact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jawaharlal Nehru | Aug 1947 – May 1964 | Longest PM Architect of Modern India |
| — | Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) | May – Jun 1964 | 1st Acting PM |
| 2 | Lal Bahadur Shastri | Jun 1964 – Jan 1966 | Died in Tashkent while in office · "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" |
| — | Gulzarilal Nanda (Acting) | Jan – Jan 1966 | Acting PM (2nd time) |
| 3 | Indira Gandhi | Jan 1966 – Mar 1977 | 1st Woman PM From Rajya Sabha |
| 4 | Morarji Desai | Mar 1977 – Jul 1979 | 1st Non-Congress PM |
| 5 | Charan Singh | Jul 1979 – Jan 1980 | Never faced LS Never addressed Lok Sabha |
| 6 | Indira Gandhi | Jan 1980 – Oct 1984 | Assassinated while in office |
| 7 | Rajiv Gandhi | Oct 1984 – Dec 1989 | Youngest PM · Later assassinated |
| 8 | V.P. Singh | Dec 1989 – Nov 1990 | 1st No-confidence First PM to resign after no-confidence vote · Also ex-CM |
| 9 | Chandra Shekhar | Nov 1990 – Jun 1991 | Govt. fell after Congress withdrew support |
| 10 | P.V. Narasimha Rao | Jun 1991 – May 1996 | 1st South India PM LPG reforms 1991 · Also ex-CM of AP |
| 11 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | May 1996 – Jun 1996 | Shortest Tenure Only 13 days (1st stint) |
| 12 | H.D. Deve Gowda | Jun 1996 – Apr 1997 | Rajya Sabha member · Also ex-CM Karnataka |
| 13 | I.K. Gujral | Apr 1997 – Mar 1998 | "Gujral Doctrine" — foreign policy |
| 14 | Atal Bihari Vajpayee | Mar 1998 – May 2004 | Nuclear Tests 1998 Pokhran-II · NDA govt. |
| 15 | Dr. Manmohan Singh | May 2004 – May 2014 | 1st Sikh PM Rajya Sabha member · Economic reforms architect |
| 16 | Narendra Modi | May 2014 – Present | 1st BJP majority PM GST · Demonetisation · 3 consecutive terms |
Nehru — Longest PM · Vajpayee — Shortest (13 days, 1st stint) · Indira — 1st Woman PM (from RS) · Morarji — 1st Non-Congress · Charan Singh — Never faced LS · Manmohan Singh — 1st Sikh PM (RS member) · Narasimha Rao — 1st South Indian PM
The Attorney General may participate in the proceedings of both Houses of Parliament but cannot vote merely by virtue of that office. The Attorney General may also engage in private practice subject to applicable restrictions.
The Attorney General of India is provided under Article 76, while the State Advocate General is provided under Article 165. The Advocate General is the State-level counterpart of the Attorney General.
The Attorney General and Solicitor General are different offices. The Attorney General is a constitutional authority under Article 76 and is the senior-most law officer; the Solicitor General is a government appointee without a constitutional basis.
| Centre | Article | +89 | Article | State |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM (Council of Ministers) | 74 | → | 163 | CM (Council of Ministers) |
| Presidential Pardon | 72 | → | 161 | Governor's Pardon |
| Attorney General | 76 | → | 165 | Advocate General |
| Parliament | 79 | → | 168 | State Legislature |
| Rajya Sabha | 80 | → | 169 | Legislative Council |
| Lok Sabha | 81 | → | 170 | Legislative Assembly |
This mnemonic helps recall article numbers: add 89 to the corresponding Union article to obtain many State-level equivalents. It has a few exceptions.
The +89 rule is only a memory aid, not a constitutional rule. Use it to recall article numbers; do not describe it as a constitutional provision.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 74 | Council of Ministers to aid & advise the President |
| 75 | Appointment, tenure, qualifications of PM & Ministers |
| 75(1) | PM appointed by President; other ministers on PM's advice |
| 75(2) | Ministers hold office during the pleasure of President |
| 75(6) | Salaries paid from Consolidated Fund of India |
| 76 | Attorney General of India |
| 77 | Conduct of Govt. business in the name of President |
| 78 | PM's duty to furnish information to the President |
Article 74 makes ministerial advice binding on the President after reconsideration. Under Article 75(2), ministers formally hold office during the President's pleasure but are ordinarily removed on the Prime Minister's advice. Article 78 requires the Prime Minister to keep the President informed.