Which of the following constitutional offices in India hold their position during the pleasure of the President of India? I. Attorney General of India II. Governors of States III. Comptroller and Auditor General of India

Introduction / Context:
The phrase holds office during the pleasure of the President appears in several places in the Constitution of India. It indicates that the office holder can be removed by the President, usually acting on the advice of the Council of Ministers, without a fixed term in the same way as some other offices. However, certain constitutional officers enjoy special protection and cannot be removed simply at pleasure. This question asks you to identify which among the Attorney General of India, Governors of states and Comptroller and Auditor General of India hold office during the pleasure of the President.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are comparing three offices: Attorney General of India (I), Governors of states (II) and Comptroller and Auditor General of India (III).
• The phrase during the pleasure of the President is used formally in relation to some of these offices.
• The options provide combinations of these offices.
• We assume knowledge of constitutional provisions governing tenure and removal for each office.

Concept / Approach:
The Attorney General of India is appointed by the President and holds office during the pleasure of the President. Likewise, a Governor of a state is appointed by the President and also holds office during the pleasure of the President, as specified in the Constitution. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India, however, has a protected tenure similar to that of a judge of the Supreme Court and cannot be removed at the mere pleasure of the President. Removal of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India requires a special procedure involving Parliament. Therefore, only I and II hold office during the pleasure of the President, making the combination Both I and II correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider office I, the Attorney General of India. The Constitution states that the Attorney General holds office during the pleasure of the President. Step 2: Consider office II, Governors of states. Article 156 provides that a Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President. Step 3: Consider office III, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This office holder enjoys security of tenure, and removal requires a special procedure similar to that for judges of the Supreme Court. Step 4: Therefore, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India does not hold office merely during the pleasure of the President. Step 5: From the options, only option B, Both I and II, correctly identifies the offices that hold office during the pleasure of the President. Step 6: Hence, the correct answer is Both I and II.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by reading constitutional articles about each office. The provisions on the Attorney General clearly mention that the office is held during the pleasure of the President. Article 156 states that a Governor holds office during the pleasure of the President and specifies an otherwise five year term. The provision on the Comptroller and Auditor General, however, emphasises independence by prescribing a fixed term and a removal process involving Parliament. Polity reference books also list the Attorney General and Governors under the category of offices held during presidential pleasure, while the Comptroller and Auditor General is grouped with independent authorities. This confirms that only I and II fit the description in the question.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because it includes only the Attorney General and ignores the fact that Governors also hold office during the pleasure of the President.

Option C is wrong because it wrongly includes the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, who cannot be removed at simple pleasure.

Option D is wrong because it pairs Governors and the Comptroller and Auditor General, again mistakenly treating the Comptroller and Auditor General as an office held at pleasure.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is to assume that all constitutional officers appointed by the President can be removed at pleasure. In reality, some of them, like judges of the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, have strong protections to maintain independence. Another mistake is to forget which articles contain the phrase during the pleasure of the President. To avoid this, remember that political and advisory offices like Governor and Attorney General are pleasure based, whereas auditing and judicial offices have protected tenure. This distinction is frequently tested in competitive exams on Indian polity.

Final Answer:
Both I and II