⚖️ Chapter 02 · Topic 02 · Constitutional Bodies

UPSC & State Public Service Commissions

Union Public Service Commission (Article 315) — composition, functions, independence, examinations conducted, and State PSCs.

📝 UPSC — Union Public Service Commission

Established under Article 315 of the Constitution
Composition: Chairman + members — appointed by the President
Number of members not specified in Constitution — determined by the President
Tenure: 6 years or 65 years of age, whichever is earlier
Members are not eligible for reappointment after their term
Removal: President can remove a member on grounds of misbehaviour (after SC inquiry) or if adjudged insolvent, engages in paid employment, or is unfit due to infirmity
Salary charged to the Consolidated Fund of India
UPSC submits an Annual Report to the President on its work

📋 Functions of UPSC

Conducts examinations for appointments to All India Services and Central Services
Advises on matters relating to recruitment, promotions, transfers of civil servants
Advises on disciplinary matters affecting civil servants
Advises on claims for costs incurred by civil servants in defending legal proceedings
Advises on any matter referred to it by the President
UPSC is consulted (not binding) — the government can deviate from its advice

📋 Examinations Conducted by UPSC

Examination	For
Civil Services Examination (CSE)	IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other Group A & B Central Services
Combined Defence Services (CDS)	Officers in Army, Navy, Air Force
National Defence Academy (NDA)	Entry to NDA for Army, Navy, Air Force wings
Naval Academy Examination	Entry to Indian Naval Academy
Engineering Services Examination	Engineers in Central Government services
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)	Assistant Commandants in BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB
Indian Forest Service (IFoS)	Indian Forest Service officers
Special Class Railway Apprentices	Railway engineers
Indian Statistical Service (ISS)	Statistical officers
Indian Economic Service (IES)	Economic officers

⭐ UPSC Independence: The UPSC is designed to be independent of executive interference. Key safeguards: (1) Members appointed by President but removed only on specific grounds after SC inquiry; (2) Salary from Consolidated Fund — not subject to vote; (3) Members not eligible for reappointment — no incentive to please the government; (4) After retirement, members cannot hold any office under Central or State Government. These provisions ensure UPSC can conduct fair and impartial recruitment.

🏛️ State Public Service Commissions (SPSCs)

Each State has its own Public Service Commission under Article 315
Chairman and members appointed by the Governor
Tenure: 6 years or 62 years of age, whichever is earlier (State PSC members retire at 62, not 65)
Removal: by the President (not Governor) on grounds specified in Article 317
Functions: same as UPSC but for State services
A Joint State Public Service Commission (JSPSC) can be created for two or more states by Parliament
UPSC can serve the needs of a State if requested by the Governor and approved by the President
Examples: APPSC (Andhra Pradesh), TGPSC (Telangana), TNPSC (Tamil Nadu), KPSC (Karnataka)

📌 UPSC vs State PSC — Key Differences:
UPSC Chairman/members = appointed by President; State PSC = appointed by Governor
UPSC members retire at 65; State PSC members retire at 62
UPSC members removed by President; State PSC members also removed by President (not Governor)
UPSC Annual Report to President; State PSC Annual Report to Governor

✅ Revision Checklist

✅ UPSC = Article 315 = Chairman + members = appointed by President
✅ UPSC tenure = 6 years or 65 years = not eligible for reappointment
✅ UPSC conducts CSE, CDS, NDA, CAPF, Engineering Services, IFoS
✅ UPSC is consultative — government can deviate from its advice
✅ State PSC = appointed by Governor = retire at 62 (not 65)
✅ State PSC members removed by President (not Governor)
✅ JSPSC = Joint State PSC = created by Parliament for 2+ states