Which one among the following features of the Constitution of India is indicative of the fact that the real executive power is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister ?

The Constitution of India establishes a parliamentary system of government modeled on the British Westminster pattern [3]. In this system, a distinction is made between the nominal executive (the President) and the real executive (the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister) [5]. While Article 53 formally vests the executive power of the Union in the President, Article 74(1) mandates that the President must exercise these functions on the advice of the Council of Ministers [c5][t1]. The defining feature of parliamentary democracy is that the real executive authority rests with the Council of Ministers, which is collectively responsible to the House of the People (Lok Sabha) [c1][t4]. This accountability ensures that the executive remains dependent on the legislature's majority support, a hallmark of parliamentary democracy that distinguishes it from presidential or purely federal structures [t5][t7].

Sources

1. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 21: Central Council of Ministers > Central Council of Ministers > p. 213
2. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 21: Central Council of Ministers > Central Council of Ministers > p. 213
3. [4] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: EXECUTIVE > PARLIAMENTARY EXECUTIVE IN INDIA > p. 84
4. [5] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: EXECUTIVE > Power and position of President > p. 85