Swearing-In Ceremony

Shri Narendra Modi took oath as a Prime Minister of India at a swearing-in ceremony on 9th June.

About Swearing-in Ceremony

• It is also called the oath-taking ceremony, is a formal event signifying taking up of an office, where the person set to occupy the office swears to be loyal to the Constitution and to discharge their duties faithfully.
  • The ceremony underlines the layers making  up India’s political power structure, and affirms the supremacy of the Constitution in our polity.
• Administering of Oath: An Oath is administered at different levels of government, by different people. 
  • Governor administers oaths for CMs and ministers at the state level.
  • The President administers Oath for the Prime Minister and the Union Cabinet
  • The Chief Justice of India administers it to the office to the President
  • Constitutional Provision of Oath:
  • The Third Schedule of the Constitution of India: It consist of Articles (75(4), 99, 124(6), 148(2), 164(3), 188 and 219) contains the text of Oaths that needs to be taken up by various offices under Government of India.
    • Union Ministers of India; Parliament Election Candidates; Members of Parliament (MPs); Supreme Court Judges; Comptroller and Auditor General; State Ministers; State Legislature Elections’ Candidates; State Legislature Members; High Court Judges
    • The person taking the oath must either “swear in the name of God” or “solemnly affirm” that they would “bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution.”
  • Article 60 in Part V: The President’s oath of Office: To faithfully execute the office of President  of India and preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law .
• Variations in Oaths:
  • Article 164: The text of the oath does not support any discretion and has to be read out exactly as it is.
    • Section 3 of the Article164: Before a Minister enters upon his office, the Governor shall administer to him the oaths of office and of secrecy according to the forms set out for the purpose in the Third Schedule.
  • Redoing of Oath: If a person mispronounces any word or deviates from the text, the administerer of the oath ie. The  Governor is responsible for correcting it.
    • Example: RJD leader was corrected by the Bihar Governor for mispronouncing a word while taking the oath of secrecy and was thus asked to re-do the oath after the 2015 Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar.

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