According to the Constitution of India, which of the following statements about the powers of the President of India is or are correct? 1. The executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President. 2. The executive power shall be exercised by the President only through officers subordinate to him. 3. The supreme command of the defence forces of the Union shall be vested in the President. Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Introduction / Context:
The Constitution of India defines the position and powers of the President in Part V. While the President is the formal head of the State and the executive, the actual exercise of power happens according to constitutional provisions and the system of responsible government. This question presents three statements about the executive power of the Union and the command of the defence forces and asks you to identify which statements correctly reflect the constitutional wording.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement 1: The executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President.
• Statement 2: The executive power shall be exercised by the President only through officers subordinate to him.
• Statement 3: The supreme command of the defence forces of the Union shall be vested in the President.
• The code options combine these statements in different ways.
• We assume the question is based on Articles 52, 53 and 74 of the Constitution.

Concept / Approach:
Article 53(1) of the Constitution states that the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President and shall be exercised by him either directly or through officers subordinate to him in accordance with the Constitution. Article 53(2) further provides that the supreme command of the defence forces of the Union shall be vested in the President. The key difference between Statement 2 and the constitutional text is that the Constitution says either directly or through officers subordinate to him, whereas Statement 2 uses the word only, which wrongly excludes direct exercise. Thus, Statements 1 and 3 correctly reflect the Constitution, but Statement 2 does not.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Compare Statement 1 with Article 53(1). The Constitution clearly says that the executive power of the Union shall be vested in the President, so Statement 1 is correct.Step 2: Compare Statement 2 with the same Article. The constitutional text allows the President to exercise executive power either directly or through subordinate officers. Therefore, the word only in Statement 2 makes it inaccurate, because it removes the possibility of direct exercise.Step 3: Compare Statement 3 with Article 53(2), which states that the supreme command of the defence forces of the Union shall be vested in the President; this matches Statement 3 exactly.Step 4: Conclude that Statements 1 and 3 are correct, while Statement 2 is not.Step 5: From the answer codes given, select the option that corresponds to 1 and 3 only.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reading Articles 52 and 53 in the bare Constitution confirms that the President is the formal head of the Union executive and that executive power is vested in that office. The phrasing "either directly or through officers subordinate to him" is crucial and frequently highlighted in polity textbooks. They also note that the President is the Supreme Commander of the defence forces as a matter of constitutional form, even though actual control is exercised on the advice of the Council of Ministers. These details verify that only Statements 1 and 3 align with the constitutional language.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 1, 2 and 3: This would treat Statement 2 as correct, but it misstates the Constitution by using only instead of either directly or through.
• 1 and 2 only: Includes the incorrect Statement 2 but excludes the correct Statement 3 about defence forces.
• 3 only: Ignores the clearly correct Statement 1 about the vesting of executive power.

Common Pitfalls:
A common trap in such questions is a small change of wording, such as inserting only where the Constitution uses either directly or through. Students focusing only on the general idea may overlook these details and mark Statement 2 as correct. To avoid such errors, pay close attention to qualifying words in constitutional language. Another pitfall is to assume that because the President is a nominal head, statements about executive power must be incorrect; however, the Constitution still vests formal power in the President, even though it is exercised on ministerial advice.

Final Answer:
The statements that correctly reflect the constitutional position are 1 and 3 only, so the correct option is the code representing Statements 1 and 3.