This is the age of transparency and skeletons tumbling out sooner is better than later. Since the People, who are not the electors, are already inured to high offices being debased, dignity is a non-issue here.
Despite Article 74, there can be individuals or situations, when the President can be proactive. Just recollect how the President directly interacted with the American Ambassador and UK High Commissioner when the PM was busy defending his Defense Minister in 1962.
I am afraid undue expectations from the present hapless contestants, are being aroused which was not the case earlier. Only time will tell whether the eventual occupant will measure up to the call of duties or she/he is also a frail human being. Just to refresh the memory how some past individuals performed, let me give a very few critical examples.
One President swore in an individual as PM who was yet to be elected the leader of the majority party in Parliament. The icing on the cake was that he later unsuccessfully conspired to unseat him.
Another President signed proclamation of Emergency without a Cabinet resolution.
Yet another President dismissed a state Government in comfortable majority even without a Governor’s report.
If we diligently catalogue, the list will be very long indeed. So the future incumbent need not worry that only lofty precedents are to be lived up to though that would be ideal. Our country is resilient. Let us be happy and watch the fun like Laxman’s Common Man.
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