The oath of office to the Vice-President is administered by the ________.

Correct — D. Article 69 requires the Vice-President, before entering upon the office, to make and subscribe an oath before the President, or before some person appointed by the President for the purpose.

The form of words is given in Article 69 itself: to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution and faithfully to discharge the duties of the office.

Learn the pairing, not the office's seniority. Who administers an oath in India is fixed by an article, and the article differs from office to office.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Chief Justice of India — The Chief Justice of India administers the oath to the President under Article 60, and in the Chief Justice's absence the senior-most available judge of the Supreme Court does so. That is the President's oath, not the Vice-President's.
• (b)
  Prime Minister — The Prime Minister administers no oath at all. The Prime Minister is himself sworn in by the President under Article 75(4).
• (c)
  CAG — The Comptroller and Auditor General takes an oath before the President in the form given in the Third Schedule. The office receives an oath; it does not administer one.

Oath-administering authority is spread across the Constitution and is worth learning as one table.

The President swears before the Chief Justice of India under Article 60. The Vice-President swears before the President under Article 69. Ministers, including the Prime Minister, are sworn by the President under Article 75(4).

A Governor swears before the Chief Justice of the High Court having jurisdiction in that State under Article 159, and a Member of Parliament before the President or a person appointed by him under Article 99.

The Third Schedule holds the actual forms of oath.

Key facts

• Article 69 places the Vice-President's oath before the President or a person appointed by the President.
• Article 60 places the President's oath before the Chief Justice of India.
• Article 159 places a Governor's oath before the Chief Justice of the High Court of that State.
• Article 99 places a Member of Parliament's oath before the President or a person appointed by him.
• The Third Schedule sets out the forms of oath and affirmation.

Common traps

• Assuming the Chief Justice of India swears in every high office, which is true only of the President.
• Confusing the article that prescribes the Vice-President's oath with the one that creates the office.

No directly related past PYQ was found.