President of India: List & Powers and Functions

Q: Who is the present President of India?

The present President of India is Droupadi Murmu. She assumed office on 25th July 2022.

Updated on August 27, 2026Author:NEXT IAS Contributors

The President of India is head of state, and the supreme commander of the armed forces, holding executive, legislative, financial, judicial and emergency powers. He exercises all these powers and functions on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers.

The Key executive powers and functions of the president include the appointment of the Prime Minister, other ministers, state governors, Judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, the Attorney General, and the Comptroller and Auditor General. And all executive actions taken formally in the name of the President. He / She also ensures emergencies, such as national emergencies, President's rule and financial emergencies under articles 352 to 360.

Judicial powers and functions include the pardoning power of the president, that is Grants pardons, reprieves, or remits punishment under Article 72. And seeking legal advice from the Supreme Court on public importance matters under article 143. Under Financial powers and functions, it ensures the Annual Financial Statement Budget is laid before Parliament, and Money bills can only be introduced with prior recommendation.

List of the Presidents of India

S.No.	President	Term of office	Details
1	Dr. Rajendra Prasad	26 January 1950 to 13 May 1962	He was the First President of India and the only President who served two full terms.
2	Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	13 May 1962 to 13 May 1967	He was the philosopher, educationist, and former Vice-President. His birthday on 5th September is celebrated as Teachers' Day.
3	Dr. Zakir Husain	13 May 1967 to 3 May 1969	He was the First Muslim President of India; died while in office.
4	V. V. Giri	24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974	He was the First person to be elected as the President of India as an independent candidate. He previously served as the acting President.
5	Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed	24 August 1974 to 11 February 1977	He died in office during the period of Emergency.
6	Neelam Sanjiva Reddy	25 July 1977 to 25 July 1982	He was the First President elected unopposed. He was a former Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
7	Giani Zail Singh	25 July 1982 to 25 July 1987	He was the First Sikh President of India.
8	R. Venkataraman	25 July 1987 to 25 July 1992	He was former Vice-President of India and Union Finance Minister.
9	Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma	25 July 1992 to 25 July 1997	He was former Vice-President and Governor of several states.
10	K. R. Narayanan	25 July 1997 to 25 July 2002	He was First Dalit President of India. He earlier served as the Vice President of India and was formerly a diplomat.
11	Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam	25 July 2002 to 25 July 2007	He was also known as the 'Missile Man of India' and popularly called the 'People's President'.
12	Pratibha DeviSingh Patil	25 July 2007 to 25 July 2012	She was the First woman President of India.
13	Pranab Mukherjee	25 July 2012 to 25 July 2017	He was a Veteran parliamentarian and former Union Finance Minister.
14	Ram Nath Kovind	25 July 2017 to 25 July 2022	He was a former governor of Bihar and 2nd President from a Dalit community.
15	Droupadi Murmu	25 July 2022 till date	She was the First tribal President of India, 2nd woman President and the first person from Odisha to hold the office of the President of India.

Powers and Functions of the President of India

The President of India is the Constitutional head of the Union. He is also a part of the Parliament. However, the executive powers are vested with the President of India but the power is exercised by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister. There are various powers and functions of the President of India which can be understood below.

Executive Powers

Under Article 53 of the constitution of India, all executive actions of the Union are taken by the President of India. The President appoints the Prime Minister. He also appoints other Union Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister of India.
The President also appoints Governors, Attorney General of India, Comptroller and Auditor General, Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners. He also appoints the members of UPSC, Finance Commissioners, and Judges of Supreme Court and High Courts.
The President of India is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces and appoints chiefs of the defence services. International treaties and diplomatic relations are formally conducted in the name of the President.

Legislative Powers

According to Article 79 of the constitution of India, the President of India is an integral part of the Parliament. The President can summon, prorogue the Parliament, and can dissolve the Lok Sabha. The President addresses the Parliament at the beginning of the first session after each general election and first session of every year. A bill can become a law only after the assent of the President.
The President may return an ordinary bill for reconsideration but must give assent to the bill if the Parliament again passes the bill. As per Article 123 of the constitution of India, the President may promulgate an ordinance when Parliament is not in session. However, the ordinance must be approved by the Parliament within 6 weeks of their reassembly. The President can nominate 12 people with special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art, and social service to the Rajya Sabha.

Financial and Judicial Powers

The Money bill cannot be introduced in the Lok Sabha without the recommendation of the President. The Union Budget is laid before Parliament on the name of the President. Also the demands for the grants need prior recommendation of the president. The President can constitute the Finance Commission.
According to Article 72 of the Indian Constitution, the President may grant pardon, reprieve, respite, remission, suspension, or commutation of sentences in the cases of Court martial and death sentences. Under Article 143, the President may seek the advice of the Supreme Court on important questions of facts and law.

Emergency Powers

As per Article 352 of the Indian Constitution, the President may proclaim a National Emergency in case of war, external aggression, or armed rebellion.
According to Article 356 of the constitution of India, the President's rule can be imposed upon the breakdown of constitutional machinery of a state. The President can also impose a Financial Emergency under article 360 of the Indian Constitution, when the financial stability in the country is threatened. These powers are subject to the approval of the Parliament and constitutional safeguards.