Kovind sworn in as India s 14th President (Lead)

New Delhi July 25 (IANS) Ram Nath Kovind a former BJP member and an RSS activist was on Tuesday sworn in as the 14th President of India.

Chief Justice J.S. Khehar administered the oath of office to Kovind in the presence of outgoing President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament s Central Hall. Immediately after the oath taking ceremony Kovind 71 exchanged the chair with Mukherjee to take over the top constitutional post of India - as the head of the state and supreme commander of the Indian Armed forces. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and outgoing Vice President M. Hamid Ansari and MPs were present in the Central Hall. Kovind former Bihar Governor is the second Dalit President of India after K.R. Narayanan. --IANS mak-ps-sar/rn/in