The President of India is:

Concept

In a parliamentary system, the Head of State and the Head of Government are distinct constitutional roles.

The Head of State formally represents the Republic, while the Head of Government leads the Council of Ministers and directs day-to-day administration.

Application

The official President of India website identifies the President as the Head of State. Article 53 vests the Union's executive power in the President, while Article 74 establishes a Council of Ministers with the Prime Minister at its head to aid and advise the President. Therefore, the President holds the Head-of-State role, not the Head-of-Government role.

Contrast

• “the Head of State” identifies the President's constitutional role.

• “the Head of Government” belongs to the Prime Minister, who heads the Council of Ministers.

• “both the Head of State and the Head of Government” merges two offices that India's parliamentary structure keeps distinct.

• “the Head of the Judiciary” assigns leadership of the judicial branch to the President, although that branch is institutionally separate from the Union executive.

Cross-check

The President's Secretariat expressly describes the President as the Head of State, and the constitutional arrangement places the Prime Minister at the head of the Council of Ministers.

Result

The President of India is the Head of State.