President Accepts Dr L. Murugan Resignation from Council

The President of India has accepted the resignation of Dr L. Murugan from the Union Council of Ministers, with immediate effect. The step was made public through a press communique of the President's Secretariat on 15 October 2026, and it was taken on the advice of the Prime Minister under clause (2) of Article 75 of the Constitution.

What the communique recorded

Three points were set down. Dr Murugan is no longer a member of the Union Council of Ministers. The change does not wait for a later date, but takes effect at once. And the President did not act alone: the communique says the resignation was accepted as advised by the Prime Minister. The provision named for the step is clause (2) of Article 75.

How a Union Minister leaves office

A Union Minister hands the resignation to the Prime Minister, and it takes effect when the President, acting on the Prime Minister's advice, accepts it. Parliament has no part in it. Clause (2) of Article 75 is the hinge of this arrangement: it lays down that a Minister holds office during the pleasure of the President. The same clause allows a resignation to be accepted and allows a Minister to be dropped.

Article 75 at a glance

• Clause (1): the Prime Minister is appointed by the President, and the other Ministers are appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
• Clause (1A): the number of Ministers, the Prime Minister included, cannot exceed fifteen per cent of the total strength of the Lok Sabha, a ceiling added by the ninety-first constitutional amendment.
• Clause (2): Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President.
• Clause (3): the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
• Clause (4): the oath of office and of secrecy is administered to a Minister by the President.
• Clause (5): a Minister who is not a member of either House of Parliament for six consecutive months ceases to be a Minister.

Why aspirants should note it

A change in the Council of Ministers is asked in two shapes. One is the plain fact of the day: who left the Council, and on what date. The other is constitutional: which Article and which clause carry the power to accept a Minister's resignation, and who advises whom. This one announcement supplies the material for both, which is why a single-line communique is worth a careful read.