Term of Office of Vice-President (Article 67)

VP term office rules are set out in Article 67, which fixes a five-year tenure for the Vice-President and lays down three provisos covering resignation, removal, and continuance beyond the term.

The Basic Rule — Five Years

Article 67 provides that the Vice-President holds office for a term of five years from the date of entering upon office. This mirrors the President's five-year term under Article 56, giving both offices at the apex of the Union executive an identical tenure length.

Resignation — Proviso (a)

A Vice-President may resign the office at any time by writing addressed to the President. This is the reverse of the President's own resignation route: under Article 56, the President resigns by writing to the Vice-President, while under Article 67, the Vice-President resigns to the President. The two offices thus serve as each other's formal recipients of resignation.

Removal — Proviso (b)

The Vice-President can be removed from office before the term ends only through a specific parliamentary procedure:

• A resolution for removal must be passed by the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) by a majority of all the then members of that House.
• The resolution must then be agreed to by the Lok Sabha (House of the People).
• No such resolution can even be moved unless at least fourteen days' notice has been given of the intention to move it.

This procedure is notably different from the President's impeachment process, which can be initiated in either House of Parliament on a charge of violating the Constitution. The Vice-President's removal, by contrast, must originate in the Rajya Sabha specifically — a fitting design given that the Vice-President is that House's own ex officio Chairman.

Continuance Beyond the Term — Proviso (c)

Even after the five-year term expires, a Vice-President continues to hold office until a successor enters upon office. This provision guards against any gap in the chairmanship of the Rajya Sabha and in the pool of constitutional functionaries available to step in as acting President, echoing the same continuity logic used for the President's own term under Article 56.

Term and Removal — Vice-President vs President

Aspect	Vice-President (Article 67)	President (Articles 56–61)
Term length	5 years from entering office	5 years from entering office
Resignation addressed to	President	Vice-President
Removal process	Resolution passed by Rajya Sabha (majority of all then members), agreed to by Lok Sabha; 14 days' notice required	Impeachment for violation of the Constitution, initiated in either House, investigated, and passed by a special majority
Continuance beyond term	Continues until successor enters office	Continues until successor enters office

Why the Removal Route Runs Through the Rajya Sabha

Because the Vice-President serves as the Rajya Sabha's own presiding officer under Article 64, it is that House which initiates the constitutional check on the office-holder. The requirement that the Lok Sabha must also agree to the resolution ensures that removal is not a decision of one House alone, while the mandatory fourteen-day notice period guards against a hasty or surprise motion.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

• Article 67: Vice-President's term is five years from entering upon office — the same length as the President's term.
• Removal resolution must be passed by the Rajya Sabha by a majority of all its then members and agreed to by the Lok Sabha; a simple majority in both Houses is not enough — it must be a majority of the total Rajya Sabha membership.
• Fourteen days' notice is mandatory before a removal resolution can even be moved.
• A Vice-President resigns by writing to the President — the mirror image of how the President resigns (to the Vice-President).

Mains

• Compare the procedure for removing the Vice-President with the impeachment procedure for the President, and examine why the Constitution assigns the Rajya Sabha a special role in the former. (GS II)

FAQ

Q1. What is the term of office of the Vice-President? Five years from the date on which the Vice-President enters upon office, under Article 67.

Q2. How does a Vice-President resign? By submitting a resignation in writing addressed to the President.

Q3. How is a Vice-President removed from office? Through a resolution passed by the Rajya Sabha by a majority of all the then members of that House and agreed to by the Lok Sabha; the resolution requires at least fourteen days' prior notice.

Q4. Does a Vice-President's term end automatically after five years even if no successor has been elected? No. Under the proviso to Article 67, the Vice-President continues in office beyond the five-year term until a successor enters upon office.

Quick Revision

• Article 67: five-year term for the Vice-President, from the date of entering office.
• Resignation: in writing, addressed to the President (Proviso a).
• Removal: Rajya Sabha resolution by majority of all then members + Lok Sabha agreement + 14 days' notice (Proviso b).
• Continuance: Vice-President stays in office beyond the term until a successor enters (Proviso c).
• Removal procedure originates only in the Rajya Sabha, unlike presidential impeachment, which either House can initiate.

Sources

• The Constitution of India, Article 67 — legislative.gov.in
• The Constitution of India, Articles 56, 61, 64 — legislative.gov.in

Further Reference

For deeper reading on this topic and the wider polity syllabus, these standard works are recommended:

• M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity (McGraw Hill) — the standard UPSC handbook.
• D.D. Basu, Introduction to the Constitution of India (LexisNexis) — authoritative constitutional-law treatment.
• The Constitution of India — Bare Act — the official text.

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