Oath, Term and Salary of Chief Minister


OATH 

Before the Chief Minister enters his office, the governor administers to him the oaths of office and
secrecy (which is similar to the oath of any other state minister). 

In his oath of office, the Chief Minister swears:

1. to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India,
2. to uphold the sovereignty and integrity of India,
3. to faithfully and conscientiously discharge the duties of his office, and
4. to do right to all manner of people in accordance with the Constitution and the law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

In his oath of secrecy, the Chief Minister swears that he will not directly or indirectly communicate or
reveal to any person(s) any matter that is brought under his consideration or becomes known to him as a state minister except as may be required for the due discharge of his duties as such minister.

TERM

The term of the Chief Minister is not fixed and he holds office during the pleasure of the governor.
However, this does not mean that the governor can dismiss him at any time. He cannot be dismissed
by the governor as long as he enjoys the majority support in the legislative assembly.

(This was ruled by the Supreme Court in S R Bommai v. Union of India, (1994). However, there have been many violations of this rule, whereby the governors have dismissed the Chief Ministers without giving them an opportunity to prove their majority in the legislative assembly.)

 But, if he loses the confidence of the assembly, he must resign or the governor can dismiss him.

SALARY

The salary and allowances of the Chief Minister are determined by the state legislature. In addition to the salary and allowances, which are payable to a member of the state legislature, he gets a sumptuous allowance, free accommodation, travelling allowance, medical facilities, etc.

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