Ramnath Kovind takes oath as 14th President of India

Ramnath Kovind on 25 July 2017 took oath as the 14th President of India. He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice of India Justice JS Khehar at a special function in the Parliament.

After swearing-in ceremony of Kovind, he was given 21-gun salute. With this, Kovind has become the second Dalit President of India after KR Narayanan.

The ceremony was attended by outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior members of the Cabinet.

Kovind was elected as the President on 20 July 2017 after he defeated the Opposition parties' nominee Meira Kumar by a huge margin.

About Ramnath Kovind
• Kovind was born on 1 October 1945 in Paraukh village of the Kanpur Dehat district, Uttar Pradesh.
• Before starting his career as a lawyer, Kovind cleared the civil services examination but did not join.
• He was nominated as a lawyer in Delhi Bar Council in 1971.
• He was a Central Government advocate in Delhi High Court from 1977 to 1979.
• From 1980 to 1993, he was the permanent counsellor of the Central Government in the Supreme Court.
• In 1978, he became the Advocate-on-record in the Supreme Court.
• Later in 1991, he joined the BJP and served as the President of the BJP Dalit Morcha between 1998 and 2002.
• He also served as Member of Rajya Sabha from 1994 to 2006.
• In 2015, he was appointed as the 35th Governor of Bihar by President Pranab Mukherjee.