The 12/11 Controversy

A public reply to all those who wrote or called in to enquire why we insist on referring to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as the 11th. President of India when he is the 12th? Why not the 15th then?, we ask

Sundeep Dougal

Updated on: 26 July 2002 12:00 am

RESPONSE
The 12/11 Controversy
A public reply to all those who wrote or called in to enquire why we insist on referring to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as the 11th. President of India when he is actually the 12th.? Why not the 15th. then?, we ask

SUNDEEP DOUGAL

The following mail from Karthikeyan Muralidharan

This is about the article about Prez Kalam's presidency. Is he the 11th President or 12th President of India? outlookindia says he is the 11th Prez whereas NDTV and TOI among almost all the others say he is the 12th President (list enclosed)

It just shows how miserably outlookindia fails to get even the basic facts right. Ever.

Why should I believe anything else you report on?

is only one of the many we received, apart of course from many e-mails and phone calls from our own office on the 11th/12th. controversy, forcing this collective public reply.

All we have to say is to invite a look at the list of the past Presidents of India from the official Rashtrapati Bhawan site:

10. Shri
K. R. Narayanan (b-1920) Term of Office: 25 July 1997 - 25 July 2002

9. Dr.
Shanker
Dayal Sharma (1918-1999)
Term of Office:
25 July 1992 - 25 July 1997

8. Shri R
Venkatara
man (b-1910)
Term of Office:
25 July 1987 - 25 July 1992

7. Giani
Zail Singh
(1916-1994)
Term of Office:
25 July 1982 - 25 July 1987

6. Dr. Neelam
Sanjiva Reddy
(1913-1996)
Term of Office:
25 July 1977 - 25 July 1982

5. Dr.
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
(1905-1977)
Term of Office:
24 August 1974 - 11 February 1977

4. Shri
Varahagiri
Venkata Giri
(1894-1980)
Term of Office:
3 May 1969 - 20 July 1969
and 24 August 1969 - 24 August 1974

3. Dr.
Zakir Husain (1897-1969)
Term of Office:
13 May 1967 - 3 May 1969

2. Dr. Sarvapalli
Radhakrish
nan (1888-1975)
Term of Office:
13 May 1962 - 13 May 1967

1. Dr.
Rajendra Prasad
(1884-1963)
Term of Office:
26 January 1950 - 13 May 1962

Surely, after the above 10, the next, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, should be described as the 11th. President of India? So where's the confusion?

It was clear from various lists sent in by various people -- apparently from TOI/NDTV etc.-- that they were counting the late B D Jatti -- who, it may be recalled, served merely as acting President between February 11, 1977 and July 25, 1977, after the sudden death of Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and before Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy was elected.

But B.D. Jatti's name doesn't figure in the Rashtrapati Bhavan's official list. Because if we were to count the acting Presidents, surely we should then also include V.V. Giri who acted as the President between 3 May 1969 - 20 July 1969, after the death of President Dr. Zakir Hussain, and then Chief Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah who served as acting President between July 20, 1969 and August 24, 1969 when V.V. Giri finally took over as elected President?

It's simple: Rashtrapati Bhawan does not recognise acting Presidents.

Likewise, we do not count a President elected for a successive term twice, as some argue that because Dr Rajendra Prasad was elected for a second term, the count of elected Presidents becomes 12. It would be interesting to check the records for how Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was described -- as India's second or third President?

So this, hopefully, sets to rest and solves the mystery of the 12th. man, otherwise, surely counting from the above list, one could come up with the following:

Dr. Rajendra Prasad: first and second President
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan: third President
Dr. Zakir Husain: fourth President
Shri Varahagiri Venkata Giri: fifth President (acting, on Dr. Zakir Hussain's demise in office, 3 May 1969 - 20 July 1969)
Chief Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah: sixth President (in the interim when Giri was getting elected, 20 July1969 - 24 August 1969)
Shri Varahagiri Venkata Giri: seventh President (this time elected)
Dr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed: eighth President
Shri B D Jatti: ninth President (acting, February 11, 1977 - July 25, 1977)
Dr. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy: tenth President
Giani Zail Singh: eleventh President
Shri R Venkataraman: twelfth President
Dr. Shanker Dayal Sharma: thirteenth President
Shri K. R. Narayanan: fourteenth President
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam : fifteenth President

So why call him the 12th.man eh, when is very much in the first XI?

(Sundeep Dougal is Executive Editor, www.outlookindia.com, and responsible for all that is wrong with it. There is plenty that is right, but that perhaps has nothing to do with him)