India’s fourteenth President signed the order that ended one of the Constitution’s oldest, most argued-over provisions.
Article 370: A constitutional provision that once gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status, with its own constitution and limited central control.
Presidential order: A formal instrument the President signs to give legal effect to a government decision.
Constituent Assembly: The body that once existed to recommend changes to Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. It had been dissolved decades earlier.
One Nation, One Election: A proposal to hold Lok Sabha and state assembly elections at the same time, across the country.
1India’s 14th President, and a Rare Political Journey
Must Know
- Ram Nath Kovind was India’s fourteenth President, serving from 25 July 2017 to 25 July 2022.
- He was the second Dalit to hold the office, after K.R. Narayanan. He was also the first President affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
- Born on 1 October 1945 in Paraunkh, Uttar Pradesh, to a farming family. He trained as a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in Delhi in 1971.
- He served as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh, starting in 1994.
- He later served as Governor of Bihar, from 2015.
- He won about two-thirds of the vote in the 2017 presidential election.
True or False: Ram Nath Kovind was India’s first Dalit President.
2The Article 370 Orders, August 2019
Good to Know
- On 5 and 6 August 2019, Kovind signed the presidential orders that made the provisions of Article 370 inoperative. This ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status.
- The first order, on 5 August, let the Union act without a recommendation from the state’s Constituent Assembly — a body that no longer existed.
- The second order, on 6 August, formally declared Article 370 inoperative.
Think it through. The President has almost no independent policy power over a decision like this. So why does a change this big still need the President’s signature at all?
Show the explanation
Because a presidential order is how the Constitution gives legal force to certain government decisions. The government decides the policy, and Parliament may pass the underlying law. But some actions only become binding once the President formally signs the order. The President’s signature is not really a policy choice here. It’s the final procedural step that makes an already-decided change take legal effect. Kovind’s role in the Article 370 case shows this clearly. He did not debate or delay the orders. He signed them on the government’s advice, and that signature is what made the change official.
True or False: Kovind’s August 2019 orders ended Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370.
3Life After the Presidency
Great to Know
- He was succeeded as President in 2022 by Droupadi Murmu.
- In 2023, he went on to head the “One Nation, One Election” committee. This panel was formed to examine holding simultaneous elections across India.
- Most former Presidents step back from active public roles after leaving office. Kovind’s return to a substantive policy role is unusual.
Think it through. Twenty years separate Narayanan’s presidency from Kovind’s, and both were the first Dalit President of their kind. Why do their most memorable acts look so different — one pushing back, the other executing swiftly?
Show the explanation
The two moments called for opposite things from the office. Narayanan’s Presidency is remembered for a case where he sent a Cabinet recommendation back for reconsideration, using one of the few checks the office actually has. Kovind’s Article 370 orders needed the opposite: fast, unambiguous execution of clear government advice, with no ambiguity to question. Neither act came from a difference in how much power the office holds. The President’s formal powers were the same in both cases. What differed was the situation each man faced, and what the moment called for from someone in that seat.
Quick Q&A
- What was Ram Nath Kovind’s most significant act as President? Signing the presidential orders of 5-6 August 2019 that made Article 370 inoperative, ending Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
- Was Kovind India’s first Dalit President? No. He was the second, after K.R. Narayanan. He was the first President affiliated with the BJP.
- What did Kovind do after his presidency ended? In 2023, he went on to head the “One Nation, One Election” committee.
- Who succeeded Kovind as President? Droupadi Murmu, in 2022.
MCQ on Test Yourself
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Related reading
- Pranab Mukherjee — his predecessor as President.
- Droupadi Murmu — who succeeded him in 2022.
- K.R. Narayanan — India’s first Dalit President.
- ModHist0036 — Article 370: Kashmir’s Special Status and Its 2019 Removal
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