Provisional Council of Ministers of the President (Omitted)
Official heading: “[Council of Ministers of the President.]”
Article 381 provided that persons holding office as ministers for the Dominion of India immediately before commencement would become members of the Council of Ministers of the President on 26 January 1950. With the election of the first Lok Sabha and appointment of a new Council of Ministers under Article 75 in 1952, the transitional provision was omitted by the Seventh Amendment in 1956.
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XXI, Article 381, printed page 250
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1. In One Sentence
Article 381 formerly continued the interim Council of Ministers under Prime Minister Nehru in 1950, and was omitted in 1956.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 381 provided executive continuity on Republic Day.
It ensured that Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his cabinet colleagues transitioned automatically from the Dominion executive into the President’s constitutional Council of Ministers.
Once general elections were completed in 1952, Article 75 governed all ministerial appointments, and Article 381 was omitted by the Seventh Amendment in 1956.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
On 26 January 1950, the sitting cabinet continued governing without requiring new ministerial elections.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 381 maintained executive government continuity in 1950.
- Interim cabinet continuity: Dominion cabinet became the President’s Council of Ministers.
- Precursor to Article 75: Operated until the first elected government in 1952.
- Omitted in 1956: Repealed by the Seventh Amendment.
5. Historical constitutional wording — not operative
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XXI, Article 381, printed page 250 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.