The President of India is a constitutional institution and the head of state of the Republic of India. The office was created when the Constitution of India came into force and India became a republic on January 26, 1950. The framers adopted a parliamentary system, making the President the nominal head of the executive, similar to the British monarch, to symbolize the nation without ruling it directly.
The concept is primarily defined in Part V, Chapter I of the Constitution, with Article 52 stating there shall be a President of India. Article 53 vests the executive power of the Union in the President, to be exercised directly or through subordinate officers, and also makes the President the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The President is indirectly elected for a five-year term by an Electoral College comprising the elected members of both Houses of Parliament and the Legislative Assemblies of the States and Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry.
The President connects to the Union Executive, which also includes the Vice-President, Prime Minister, and Council of Ministers. Crucially, the President must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister, as per Article 74. This mechanism was reinforced by the 42nd Amendment Act, which made the advice binding. However, the 44th Amendment Act later allowed the President to send the advice back once for reconsideration, after which the President must act on the reconsidered advice. The President also has significant legislative powers, being an integral part of Parliament under Article 79, and can promulgate ordinances under Article 123 when Parliament is not in session. The President's primary duty, as part of the oath under Article 60, is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and the law.