Union Public Service Commission
UPSC & Public Service Commissions
Articles 315–323 · merit against patronage
A welfare state needs competent, fairly recruited public servants. The PSC removes recruitment from executive patronage, protects merit and gives candidates institutional confidence. Crucially — it is a recruiting agency, not an appointing authority: its recommendations are advisory; government appoints.
Evolution
- Charter Act 1833 — fitness regardless of caste/creed/colour;
- 1854 Macaulay Committee — competitive exam, probation, end of Haileybury;
- GoI Act 1919 recognised need; Lee Commission, 1923 urged a statutory PSC;
- GoI Act 1935 → Federal PSC; Constitution → UPSC from 26 Jan 1950.
Constitutional provisions
| 315 | PSCs for Union & States |
| 316–317 | appointment, term, removal/suspension |
| 320 | functions |
| 322 | expenses charged on Consolidated Fund |
Chairman + members by President; half must have 10 yrs’ government office; term 6 yrs / age 65; removal for misbehaviour only after SC inquiry; chairman barred from further office.
Functions & their limits
| Type | Content |
|---|---|
| Advisory | recruitment methods, appointments, promotions, transfers, suitability — advisory only (unlike the US Civil Service Commission) |
| Executive | conducts exams for All-India / Central / Group A & B services; annual report to President → tabled with reasons for any non-acceptance |
| Quasi-judicial | advises on disciplinary matters; Art. 320(3)(c) consultation on action, legal costs, injury pensions |
Excluded: reservation policy, SC/ST claims, high diplomatic posts, Group C & D, sub-one-year temporary posts, many technical posts → limited jurisdiction; overlap with CVC; possible executive influence.
Lateral entry — the running debate
UPSC-run lateral entry at Joint Secretary / Director / Deputy Secretary. NITI Aayog (Three-Year Action Agenda): specialists inducted via lateral entry will bring competition to the career bureaucracy. For: expertise in semiconductors, green hydrogen, cyber-security. Concerns: ministries pick posts; expertise-vs-patronage; cadre morale; reservation for SC/ST/OBC. K.M. Chandrasekhar warns lateral entrants “will not deliver the same outcome… the system is not such that they can fully display their skills.”
Rajni Kothari sees PSCs as instruments balancing centralisation and decentralisation; Zoya Hasan — they protect democratic integrity by preventing politicisation and ensuring merit. Reform: define member qualifications, transparent appointments, make PSCs think-tanks on personnel policy, fix corruption/delay in State PSCs.