You are on page 1of 7

CONTENTS
1. Declaration……………………………………………………………02

2. Acknowledgement……………………………………………………..03

3. Introduction…………………………………………………………....

4. Objective of the study…………………………………………………

5. Hypothesis…………………………………………………………….

6. Research methodology………………………………………………….

7.

1
Civil Service is the permanent structure responsible for carrying out the administration of the
country. This service runs under the direction and control of 'elected representatives' of people
and in accordance with the rules and principles. In India, civil service system is an executive
branch of the Republic of India and functions like the backbone of the administrative machinery
of the country. The primary function of the Civil Service is to implement policies and delivering
services.
Civil services in ancient period to medieval periods
 In the Indian Administrative System in ancient period, different systems of administration are
found to have existed at different periods. The earliest reference can be traced to the Indus
Valley civilization. From excavations, scholars have come to the conclusion that government
in Mohenjodaro and Harappa was systematic. In the Indus Valley civilization there can be
found planned roads and drainage which shows that in cities there existed a municipal
government which looked after the needs and made systematic arrangements for the cities.
Moreover, the entire area covered by the civilization contained one type of house, a common
system of weights and measures and a common script. Administration in Vedic Period
The Indus Valley civilization was followed by the Vedic period. In the Rig Vedic period
administrative units were known as 'Kul,' 'Gram' and 'Vish'. Gram or the village consisted of the
neighboring households. In the political system of the Rig Vedic period the smallest unit was the
family.
The eldest person in the family became its head. The village consisted of a group of families.
The head of the village was known as 'Gramini' who acted as the administrative head. A group of
villages was known as the 'Vish' and its head was 'Vishpati'. Numerous 'Vishas' constituted a
'Jan' whose key officer was known as 'Gopa'. This was an important office and usually the king
himself became the 'Gopa'.
Government in the Rig Vedic period was monarchical. The office of the king was hereditary. But
the kings were not despotic and they had to take an oath at the time of coronation to work in the
interest of the people. The king as well as his subjects were bound by 'Dharmas' or rule of law
which was a code of duties. To assist the king in administration there were various officers.
There is also a mention in Rig Vedic period of two democratic bodies known as the 'Sabha' and
the 'Samiti', which controlled the king. The 'Sabha' was an elite institution and worked as the
council of elders while the 'Samiti' was a public body.

2
Administration system in medieval period

During the Sultanate of Delhi, all administrative decisions were made in accordance with
Muslim laws, also known as Shariat or Islamic laws. In governmental matters, the Sultans and
nobles were primarily responsible for adhering to Sharia or Islamic regulations. This time, it was
rightly stated that religion had a significant impact on the Sultanate of Delhi's government and at
the same time administration of cholaya dynasty and vijayanagar empire have good governance
system.
Evolution of civil service during company rule:-
Civil Servants for the East India Company used to be nominated by the Directors of the
Company and thereafter trained at Haileybury College in London and then sent to India.
Following Lord Macaulay’s Report of the Select Committee of British Parliament, the concept of
a merit based modern Civil Service in India was introduced in 1854. The Report recommended
that patronage based system of East India Company should be replaced by a permanent Civil
Service based on a merit based system with entry through competitive examinations. For this
purpose, a Civil Service Commission was setup in 1854 in London and competitive examinations
were started in 1855. Initially, the examinations for Indian Civil Service were conducted only in
London. Maximum age was 23 years and minimum age was 18 years. The syllabus was designed
such that European Classics had a predominant share of marks. All this made it difficult for
Indian candidates. Nevertheless, in 1864, the first Indian, Shri Satyendranath Tagore brother of
Shri Rabindaranath Tagore succeeded. Three years later 4 other Indians succeeded. Throughout
the next 50 years, Indians petitioned for simultaneous examinations to be held in India without
success because the British Government did not want many Indians to succeed and enter the ICS.
It was only after the First World War and the Montagu Chelmsford reforms that this was agreed
to. From 1922 onwards the Indian Civil Service Examination began to be held in India also, first
in Allahabad and later in Delhi with the setting up of the Federal Public Service Commission.
The Examination in London continued to be conducted by the Civil Service Commission.
Similarly, prior to independence superior police officers belonged to the Indian (Imperial) Police
appointed by the Secretary of State by competitive examination. The first open competition for
the service was held in England in June, 1893, and 10 top candidates were appointed as
Probationary Assistant Superintendents of Police. Entry into Imperial Police was thrown open to
Indians only after 1920 and the following year examinations for the service were conducted both
in England and India. Indianisation of the police service continued to be very slow despite
pronouncement and recommendations of the Islington Commission and the Lee Commission.
Till 1931, Indians were appointed against 20% of the total posts of Superintendents of Police.
However, because of non availability of the suitable European candidates, more Indians were
appointed to the Indian Police from the year 1939 onwards. Regarding Forest Service, British
India Government started the Imperial Forest Department in 1864 and to organize the affairs of
the Imperial Forest Department, Imperial Forest Service was constituted in 1867. From 1867 to
1885, the officers appointed to Imperial Forest Service were trained in France and Germany. Till

3
1905, they were trained at Coopers Hill, London. In 1920, it was decided that further recruitment
to the Imperial Forest Service would be made by direct recruitment in England and India and by
promotion from the provincial service in India. After independence, the Indian Forest Service
was created in 1966 under All India Service Act 1951. Regarding Central Civil Services, the
Civil Services in British India were classified as covenanted and uncovenanted services on the
basis of the nature of work, pay-scales and appointing authority. In 1887, the Aitchinson
Commission recommended the reorganization of the services on a new pattern and divided the
services into three groups-Imperial, Provincial and Subordinate. The recruiting and controlling
authority of Imperial services was the ‘Secretary of State’. Initially, mostly British candidates
were recruited for these services. The appointing and controlling authority for Provincial services
was the respective provincial government, which framed rules for these services with the
approval of the Government of India. With the passing of the Indian Act 1919, the Imperial
Services headed by the Secretary of State for India, were split into two-All India Services and
Central Services. The central services were concerned with matters under the direct control of
the Central Government. Apart from the Central Secretariat, the more important of these services
were the Railway Services, the Indian Posts and Telegraph Service, and the Imperial Customs
Service. To some of these, the Secretary of State used to make appointments, but in the great
majority of cases their members were appointed and controlled by the Government of India. The
origin of the Public Service Commission in India is found in the First Dispatch of the
Government of India on the Indian Constitutional Reforms on the 5th March, 1919 which
referred to the need for setting up some permanent office charged with the regulation of service
matters. This concept of a body intended to be charged primarily with the regulation of service
matters, found a somewhat more practical shape in the Government of India Act, 1919. Section
96(C) of the Act provided for the establishment in India of a Public Service Commission which
should “discharge, in regard to recruitment and control of the Public Services in India, such
functions as may be assigned thereto by rules made by the Secretary of State in Council”. After
passing of the Government of India Act, 1919, in spite of a prolonged correspondence among
various levels on the functions and machinery of the body to be set up, no decision was taken on
setting up of the body. The subject was then referred to the Royal Commission on the Superior
Civil Services in India (also known as Lee Commission). The Lee Commission, in their report in
the year 1924, recommended that the statutory Public Service Commission contemplated by the
Government of India Act, 1919 should be established without delay. Subsequent to the
provisions of Section 96(C) of the Government of India Act, 1919 and the strong
recommendations made by the Lee Commission in 1924 for the early establishment of a Public
Service Commission, it was on October 1, 1926 that the Public Service Commission was set up
in India for the first time. It consisted of four Members in addition to the Chairman. Sir Ross
Barker, a member of the Home Civil Service of the United Kingdom was the first Chairman of
the Commission. The functions of the Public Service Commission were not laid down in the
Government of India Act, 1919, but were regulated by the Public Service Commission
(Functions) Rules, 1926 framed under sub-section (2) of Section 96(C) of the Government of
India Act, 1919. Further, the Government of India Act, 1935 envisaged a Public Service
Commission for the Federation and a Provincial Public Service Commission for each Province or
group of Provinces. Therefore, in terms of the provisions of the Government of India Act, 1935
and with its coming into effect on 1st April, 1937, the Public Service Commission became the
Federal Public Service Commission. With the inauguration of the Constitution of India in
January 26, 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission came to be known as the Union Public

4
Service Commission, and the Chairman and Members of the Federal Public Service Commission
became Chairman and Members of the Union Public Service Commission by virtue of Clause (1)
of Article 378 of the Constitution.
Constitutional Arrangements about UPSC (Article 315-323)

Article 315-323 in part XIV of the Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of the
Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission for each state. Let’s
discuss the provisions under each of these articles in detail:
➜ Article 315 - Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the States
 Subject to the provisions of this article, there shall be a Public Service Commission for the Union
and a Public Service Commission for each State.
 Two or more States may agree that there shall be one Public Service Commission for that group
of States, and if a resolution to that effect is passed by the House or, where there are two Houses,
by each House of the Legislature of each of those States, Parliament may by law provide for the
appointment of a Joint State Public Service Commission (referred to in this Chapter as Joint
Commission) to serve the needs of those States.
 Any such law as aforesaid may contain such incidental and consequential provisions as may be
necessary or desirable for giving effect to the purposes of the law.
 The Public Service Commission for the Union, if requested so to do by the Governor of a State,
may, with the approval of the President, agree to serve all or any of the needs of the State.
 References in this Constitution to the Union Public Service Commission or a State Public
Service Commission shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as references to
the Commission serving the needs of the Union or, as the case may be, the State as respects the
particular matter in question. The Chairman and other members of a Public Service
Commission shall be appointed, in the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission,
by the President, and in the case of a State Commission, by the Governor of the State:
Provided that as nearly as may be one-half of the members of every Public Service Commission
shall be persons who at the dates of their respective appointments have held office for at least
ten years either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
 A member of a Public Service Commission shall hold office for a term of six years from the
date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains, in the case of the Union
Commission, the age of sixty-five years, and in the case of a State Commission or a Joint
Commission, the age of sixty-two years, whichever is earlier:
 A person who holds office as a member of a Public Service Commission shall, on the expiration
of his term of office, be ineligible for reappointment to that office

Article 317- Removal and suspension of a member of a Public Service Commission


 Subject to the provisions, the Chairman or any other member of a Public Service Commission
shall only be removed from his office by order of the President on the ground of misbehavior
after the Supreme Court, on a reference being made to it by the President, has, on inquiry held in
accordance with the procedure prescribed.
 President may by order remove from office the Chairman or any other member of a Public
Service Commission if the Chairman or such other member, as the case may be,—
 is adjudged an insolvent; or
 engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office; or

5
 is, in the opinion of the President, unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or
body.

➜ Article 318 – Power to make regulations as to conditions of service of members and


staff of the Commission.
In the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission, the President and, in the case of a
State Commission, the Governor of the State may by regulations—
 determine the number of members of the Commission and their conditions of service, and make
provision with respect to the number of members of the staff of the Commission and their
conditions of service:
Provided that the conditions of service of a member of a Public Service Commission shall not be
varied to his disadvantage after his appointment.

➜ Article 319 - Prohibition as to the holding of offices by members of the Commission on


ceasing to be such members.
On ceasing to hold office-
 the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission shall be ineligible for further
employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State;
 the Chairman of a State Public Service Commission shall be eligible for appointment as the
Chairman or any other member of the Union Public Service Commission or as the Chairman of
any other State Public Service Commission, but not for any other employment either under the
Government of India or under the Government of a State;

 Article 320 - Functions of Public Service Commissions

 It shall be the duty of the Union and the State Public Service Commissions to conduct
examinations for appointments to the services of the Union and the services of the State
respectively.
 It shall also be the duty of the Union Public Service Commission if requested by any two or more
States so to do, to assist those States in framing and operating schemes of joint recruitment for
any services for which candidates possessing special qualifications are required.
 The Union Public Service Commission or the State Public Service Commission, as the case may
be, shall be consulted on all matters relating to methods of recruitment to civil services and for
civil posts and more.

 Article 321 - Power to extend functions of Public Service Commissions.

An Act made by Parliament or, as the case may be, the Legislature of a State may provide for
the exercise of additional functions by the Union Public Service Commission or the State
Public Service Commission as respects the services of the Union or the State and also as
respects the services of any local authority or other body corporate constituted by law or of
any public institution.
➜ Article 322 - Expenses of Public Service Commissions.
The expenses of the Union or a State Public Service Commission, including any salaries,
allowances, and pensions payable to or in respect of the members or staff of the Commission,

6
shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or, as the case may be, the Consolidated
Fund of the State.

 Article 323 - Reports of Public Service Commissions.

It shall be the duty of the Union Commission to present annually to the President a report as
to the work done by the Commission and on receipt of such report, the President shall cause a
copy thereof together with a memorandum explaining, as respects the cases, if any, where the
advice of the Commission was not accepted, the reasons for such non-acceptance to be laid
before each House of Parliament.

You might also like