Rahul Gandhi Sat In 5th Row Last Independence Day; Here's Where Defence Ministry Placed His Seat This Year

Independence Day 2026: Defence Secretary RK Singh on Monday said that Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has been invited to the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort on August 15 and will be seated directly after the Union Cabinet ministers.

"Leader of the Opposition has been invited, and his seating would be as per the Table of Precedence, which is exactly after Cabinet ministers," news agency ANI quoted Singh as saying.

Delhi: Leader of Opposition has been invited, and his seating would be as per the Table of Precedence, which is exactly after Cabinet Ministers: Defence Secretary RK Singh on Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort on August 15

(File pic) pic.twitter.com/hdLTWE8xsz

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026

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Previous Controversy Over Rahul Gandhi's Seating

Last year, Rahul Gandhi's seating arrangement during the Independence Day celebrations triggered a row after the Congress criticised the government for placing him in the "fifth row," labelling the move a display of "pettiness" and a disregard for democratic norms.

Officials from the Ministry of Defence, which organises the event, clarified that the fifth-row seating arrangement for the Leader of the Opposition was necessitated to accommodate Olympic gold medalists in each row along with ministers after the first two rows.

This followed another controversy earlier this year during the Republic Day celebrations, when the Congress accused the Centre of violating established protocol and undermining democratic decorum after both Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge were seated in the third row, The Times of India reported. 

However, the defence ministry refuted the charges, stating that all seating arrangements were made in accordance with the "Table of Precedence".

Protocol Under Table Of Precedence

According to the Warrant of Precedence issued by the President's Secretariat, seating arrangements at state and ceremonial occasions are determined strictly by constitutional rank and office, not political affiliation.

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The Table of Precedence serves as a protocol list that applies to state and ceremonial occasions, including national events like the Republic Day celebrations, and does not apply to the day-to-day functioning of the government. Under Article 7of this Table of Precedence, opposition leaders in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are placed alongside Union Cabinet ministers, with only the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, the Chief Justice of India, and former Prime Ministers placed above them.

The government confirmed that the seating arrangement for the upcoming ceremony will strictly follow this rule.

#WATCH | Delhi: On seating arrangements for the Leader of Opposition at the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort, Defence Secretary RK Singh says, "It will be exactly as per the Table of Precedence, which means essentially that he sits after the Cabinet Ministers." pic.twitter.com/d4l4Zb1Sn5

— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2026