Which of the following is NOT a condition for the President’s office in India?

Correct — C. Article 59 sets out the conditions of the President's office, and on the residence it says the exact opposite of option (c): the President is entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of the official residences.

The statement reverses the Constitution's own words, so it is the one that is NOT a condition of the office.

The other three restate Article 59 faithfully — no other office of profit, no seat in either House, and allowances that cannot be reduced during the term.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  He shall not hold any office of profit. — Article 59(2) says in terms that the President shall not hold any other office of profit. A genuine condition of the office, so it cannot be the exception a NOT-question is hunting for.
• (b)
  The allowances shall not be diminished during his term of office. — Article 59(4) protects the President's emoluments and allowances from being diminished during the term of office — the same shield given to judges and the CAG. Also a real condition.
• (d)
  He shall not be a member of either House of the Parliament. — Article 59(1) bars the President from being a member of either House of Parliament or of a State legislature, and a sitting member elected President is deemed to have vacated that seat.

Article 59 is the housekeeping article of the presidency: what the holder may not also be, and what the office guarantees in return.

Its four clauses, in order:
59(1) not a member of either House of Parliament or of a State legislature
59(2) no other office of profit

59(3) use of the official residences rent-free, with emoluments fixed by Parliament
59(4) emoluments and allowances that cannot be reduced during the term

The last two protect the office rather than restrict the holder — which is what makes a NOT-question workable here. SSC only has to flip one of them.

Key facts

• Article 59 lays down the conditions of the President's office.
• The President is entitled to the use of official residences without payment of rent.
• The President may not hold any other office of profit.
• The President's emoluments and allowances cannot be diminished during the term of office.

Common traps

• Reading the NOT in the stem too fast and marking the first statement that is true.
• Assuming a rent-free residence is too small a detail for the Constitution to spell out. It is spelt out, in Article 59(3).

No directly related past PYQ was found.