Pranab Mukherjee set to take oath of 13th President of India today

The newly elected President Pranab Mukherjee who won the Presidential election on July 22 with whooping 69% vote is set to take oath of 13th President of India. The outgoing President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil today will hand over her seat to Pranab after taking final guard of honour.

The Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice S H Kapadia will administer the oath to Mukherjee at 11:30 a.m. at a special ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament today.

Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers and a host of dignitaries will be present on this historic occasion.

The function will begin with the arrival of President Pratibha Patil and President-elect Mukherjee in a ceremonial procession from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the Parliament Building.

After Mukherjee takes over, he will be given a 21-gun salute, address the gathering and then leave for the Rashtrapati Bhawan with Patil. He will also be given an inter-services guard of honour in the forecourt of the Presidential palace.

Mukherjee will then escort President Patil to her temporary accommodation on Tughlak Lane, where she will stay till her post-retirement home in Pune is ready.

Earlier, before going to Parliament house for taking oath, Pranab went to Mahatma Gandhi's 'samadhi' at Rajghat this morning to pay his respects to the ?Father of the Nation? before taking oath.

Due to security reasons, government offices around Parliament House will remain shut during the first half of Wednesday. Commuter services at three Delhi Metro stations - Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan and Khan Market - was suspended from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

"The Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations on Line-2 from HUDA City Centre, Gurgaon, to Jahangirpuri and Khan Market station on Line-6 from Central Secretariat to Badarpur will remain closed for public from 9-11 a.m.," a Delhi Metro statement said.

--With Agencies Inputs--