Article 61 — Procedure for Impeachment of the President

(1) When a President is to be impeached for violation of the Constitution, the charge shall be preferred by either House of Parliament. (2) No such charge shall be preferred unless — (a) the proposal to prefer such charge is contained in a resolution which has been moved after at least fourteen days' notice in writing signed by not less than one-fourth of the total number of members of the House has been given of their intention to move the resolution, and (b) such resolution has been passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the total membership of the House.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

The impeachment procedure for the President was modelled on the American constitutional procedure (Article II, Section 4 of the US Constitution), adapted to the parliamentary context. The Constituent Assembly debated the grounds for impeachment (limited to 'violation of the Constitution') and the threshold (two-thirds supermajority) to prevent partisan removal.

• Article 52
• Article 53
• Article 72

Last reviewed: 3 July 2026