Vice-Presidential Oath of Allegiance and Duty
Official heading: “Oath or affirmation by the Vice-President”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part V, Article 69, printed pages 31–32
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
- Not yet reviewed
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1. In One Sentence
Article 69 prescribes the constitutional oath or affirmation made by the Vice-President before the President, pledging faith and allegiance to the Constitution and faithful discharge of duties.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 69 requires every Vice-President to make and subscribe an oath or affirmation before entering upon office. The oath is administered by the President of India, or a person appointed in that behalf by the President.
Unlike the presidential oath in Article 60 (which pledges to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution"), the Vice-President swears to "bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India as by law established" and to "faithfully discharge the duty upon which I am about to enter".
This oath binds the Vice-President both in their legislative role as Chairman of the Council of States and in their executive capacity when discharging functions under Article 65.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
Following the declaration of election results, the Vice-President-elect visits Rashtrapati Bhavan.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 69 sets out the solemn pledge of constitutional loyalty for the Vice-President.
- Administered by the President or a designated representative.
- Pledges true faith and allegiance to the Constitution as established by law.
- Pledges faithful discharge of the duties of the office.
- Mandatory prerequisite prior to entering upon official functions.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
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 V, Article 69, printed pages 31–32 • 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.