By 1919, after sixty-four years of open competitive examination for the Indian Civil Service, 78 of the 1,255 ICS officers in India were Indian.
That is roughly six per cent, in a service governing a country whose population was almost entirely Indian. And it had been achieved under a system formally committed to merit since 1855, when the ICS examination replaced the East India Company's practice of nomination with open competition.
Understanding how open competition produced that result is the whole point of studying the institution that completes a century on 1 October 2026. The Union Public Service Commission was built around that arithmetic.
How an open examination excluded
The 1855 examination was open in the sense that anyone could sit it. The barriers were placed elsewhere, and they were effective.
It was held only in London. An Indian candidate had to finance a sea voyage to England and support himself there — an expense that disposed of all but a handful of families. It was conducted in English, and it tested subjects including Greek and Latin — not because a district officer in Bengal or Punjab required them, but because they rewarded candidates educated in the British public-school system. And the maximum age was progressively reduced from 23 to 19, which shortened the preparation window precisely for candidates who had to acquire an unfamiliar curriculum in a second language.
In 1862, a twenty-year-old named Satyendranath Tagore — elder brother of Rabindranath — sailed from Calcutta to sit an examination his own country would not let him take at home. He passed in 1863 and joined the service in 1864, the first Indian in what the British called the "heaven-born service", and served over thirty years in the Bombay Presidency. Six years later, Surendranath Banerjee, Behari Lal Gupta and Romesh Chunder Dutt followed.
Four men in a decade is not a pipeline. It is a demonstration that the barrier was not ability.
1926, and what the Lee Commission actually proposed
Nationalist pressure produced incremental change. The Government of India Act, 1919, enacted after the Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, provided for a Public Service Commission. In 1922 the ICS examination was held in India for the first time, at Allahabad, alongside London; the Indian centre moved to Delhi in 1928.
In 1924 the Lee Commission, chaired by Arthur Hamilton Lee, recommended that a statutory Public Service Commission be established immediately. It also proposed a recruitment formula: of every ten new entrants, four British, four Indian, and two Indians promoted from the provincial services.
That formula is usually presented as a step towards parity, and on the arithmetic it is — sixty per cent Indian against six per cent in 1919. But read it as the PIB backgrounder itself does, and the other half is just as visible: it guaranteed forty per cent of every intake to the British by birth rather than by competition. A commission created to administer merit began with a quota that suspended it. Both readings are correct, and an answer that gives only one of them is incomplete.
The Commission was constituted on 1 October 1926 under the Public Service Commission (Functions) Rules, 1926, framed under Sections 96B and 96C of the 1919 Act. Its first Chairman was Sir Ross Barker, of the Home Civil Service of the United Kingdom, assisted by four Members, and it was housed at Metcalfe House, Delhi.
Its powers were advisory, and its Chairman and Members were appointed by the Secretary of State in London. Leaders of the freedom movement criticised it heavily for exactly that. But a permanent recruiting body now existed in India, seated and staffed in India — which is why the Commission dates its history from 1926 rather than from 1855 or 1950.
Becoming a constitutional body
The Government of India Act, 1935 transferred the appointment power to the Governor-General, provided for a Federal Public Service Commission and Provincial Commissions, and — the significant change — made consultation with the Commission mandatory on recruitment, appointments, promotions, disciplinary cases and service rules. Advice that must be sought is a different thing from advice that may be. The body was renamed the Federal Public Service Commission on 1 April 1937.
Two numbers mark the end of the colonial period. In 1940, Indians in the ICS (625) outnumbered Europeans (575) for the first time. In 1947, Shri H.K. Kripalani became the first Indian Chairman, the first examination after Independence was held in December, and the ICS gave way to the IAS.
On 22 August 1949, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, as Chairman of the Drafting Committee, moved the draft articles on the Union and State Public Service Commissions in the Constituent Assembly. They became Part XIV, Articles 315 to 323. In his valedictory address of 26 November 1949, Dr Rajendra Prasad said the independence of the Commissions was essential to impartiality in public appointments and to guarding against jobbery, nepotism and favouritism.
The Federal PSC became the Union Public Service Commission on 26 January 1950, with Shri R.N. Banerjee as Chairman.
| Article | Provision |
|---|---|
| 315 | PSCs for the Union and the States; a Joint Commission for two or more States |
| 316 | Chairman and Members appointed by the President |
| 317 | Removal or suspension of a Member only by the President, after an inquiry by the Supreme Court |
| 318 | Power to make regulations on conditions of service of Members and staff |
| 319 | Restrictions on holding office afterwards — the Chairman is ineligible for further employment under the Union or a State |
| 320 | Functions: conducting examinations, and advising on recruitment, promotions and disciplinary matters |
| 321 | Power of Parliament or a State Legislature to extend the Commission's functions |
| 322 | Expenses charged on the Consolidated Fund of India |
| 323 | Annual report to the President; cases where its advice was not accepted, with reasons, laid before Parliament |
Those last three articles are the architecture of independence, and they repay close reading. Article 317 means a member cannot be removed at the government's pleasure — the Supreme Court must inquire first. Article 319 removes the incentive to please: a Chairman who can never again be employed by any government has nothing to gain by obliging one. Article 322 places the Commission's expenses beyond the annual vote of Parliament. And Article 323 is the accountability counterweight — the government may reject the Commission's advice, but it must record why, in a document laid before Parliament.
That is the design: insulate the body from pressure, then make its disagreements with the executive public. It is the same template used for the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Election Commission, and the comparison is worth holding — the independence of a constitutional body like the Election Commission rests on precisely these devices.
What the Commission does, and what it does not
Recruitment by examination: the Civil Services, Indian Forest Service, Engineering Services, Combined Medical Services, National Defence Academy and Naval Academy, Combined Defence Services, and Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandants) examinations, among others.
Recruitment by selection: interviews and recruitment tests for specialist posts requisitioned by Ministries. The integrity machinery around these examinations has itself been modernised — see the face-authentication protocol introduced for CSE 2026.
Advice to Government: on recruitment rules, promotions through Departmental Promotion Committees, induction into the All India Services, and disciplinary cases. In 2023-24 it processed the records of 24,581 officers for promotion, and 532 officers were inducted into the All India Services.
Police leadership: since 2012-13, pursuant to the Supreme Court's order of 22 September 2006 in Prakash Singh vs Union of India, the Commission empanels senior IPS officers for appointment as Director General of Police in the States.
Note what is absent. The UPSC advises; appointment is made by the government. Its advice can be rejected. And it has no role in recruitment to most Group B, C and D posts, which go to the Staff Selection Commission — a statutory, not constitutional, body. The constitutional shield covers a narrow band of the public service, not all of it.
A century in milestones
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Combined Competitive Examinations begin — unified, multi-service recruitment |
| 1951 | All-India Services Act enacted |
| 1966 | Indian Forest Service constituted as the third All India Service; first selection 1967 |
| 1969 | Eighth Schedule languages introduced as options for the Essay and General Studies papers |
| 1976 | Golden Jubilee; applications cross one lakh; the D.S. Kothari Committee proposes a three-stage examination |
| 1979 | Three-stage Civil Services Examination — Preliminary, Main, Interview — introduced; London centre discontinued |
| 1985 | Sanctioned strength raised to a Chairman and ten Members |
| 1989 | Optical Mark Recognition introduced |
| 1992 | Smt. Rose Millian Bathew Kharbuli becomes the first woman Chairperson |
| 1993 | Essay paper introduced in the Main Examination; interview marks raised from 250 to 300 |
| 2011 | Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) introduced |
| 2013 | Main Examination restructured — four General Studies papers including Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude, and one optional subject |
| 2015 | CSAT made a qualifying paper at 33 per cent |
| 2021 | Women admitted to the NDA and NA Examination for the first time — NDA & NA (II) 2021, held 14 November 2021; that cohort was commissioned in 2026 |
| 2022 | Four Group A Railway services unified as the Indian Railway Management Service |
The two numbers that close the circle
Applications across all examinations and recruitment by selection grew from 42,727 in 1950-51 to a peak of 45,10,044 in 2022-23 — more than a hundredfold. In that year the Commission conducted 15 examinations (33,51,916 applications) and received 233 requisitions for 4,411 posts under recruitment by selection.
Examination centres: 8 in 1950, 86 in 2026.
And the figure that answers the one this article opened with. Women recommended in the Civil Services Examination: 3 of 83 in 1952; 299 of 958 in 2025. From under four per cent to nearly a third.
A century ago the examination was held in a city most candidates could not reach, in a language most did not speak, on subjects irrelevant to the work. It now runs at 86 centres, offers Eighth Schedule languages, and recommends women at eight times the 1952 rate. The exclusions that remain are real — they are economic and educational rather than formal, and a competitive examination cannot by itself remedy them. But the shift from 78 of 1,255 is the substance behind the centenary's chosen phrase, "A Century of Meritocracy and Inclusion", and it is worth stating precisely rather than celebrating vaguely.
🔑 Revision block
- UPSC completes 100 years on 1 October 2026. India's first Public Service Commission was constituted 1 October 1926.
- 1855: ICS examination instituted in London, replacing East India Company nomination with open competition. Held in English, tested Greek and Latin; maximum age cut from 23 to 19.
- Satyendranath Tagore — sailed 1862, passed 1863, joined 1864; first Indian in the ICS; elder brother of Rabindranath; served over 30 years in the Bombay Presidency.
- Followed six years later by Surendranath Banerjee, Behari Lal Gupta, Romesh Chunder Dutt.
- By 1919, only 78 of 1,255 ICS officers were Indian.
- Government of India Act, 1919 (after Montagu-Chelmsford) provided for a PSC. 1922: ICS exam held in India for the first time, at Allahabad; Indian centre moved to Delhi in 1928.
- 1924 Lee Commission, chaired by Arthur Hamilton Lee — recommended a statutory PSC; proposed 4 British : 4 Indian : 2 promoted Indians of every ten entrants, guaranteeing 40% to the British by birth.
- Constituted under the Public Service Commission (Functions) Rules, 1926, framed under Sections 96B and 96C of the 1919 Act. First Chairman Sir Ross Barker; four Members; housed at Metcalfe House, Delhi. Powers were advisory; appointments made by the Secretary of State in London.
- Government of India Act, 1935: appointment power to the Governor-General; Federal PSC and Provincial PSCs; consultation made mandatory. Renamed Federal Public Service Commission on 1 April 1937.
- 1940: Indians (625) outnumber Europeans (575) in the ICS for the first time.
- 1947: H.K. Kripalani first Indian Chairman; first post-Independence examination in December; ICS gives way to the IAS.
- 22 August 1949: Dr B.R. Ambedkar moved the draft articles in the Constituent Assembly → Part XIV, Articles 315-323.
- 26 January 1950: Federal PSC becomes the UPSC; Chairman Shri R.N. Banerjee. First regular All-India Services recruitment 1950-51 — 29 IAS, 31 IPS.
- Key articles: 315 (PSCs, Joint Commission) · 316 (appointed by President) · 317 (removal only by President after Supreme Court inquiry) · 319 (Chairman ineligible for further government employment) · 320 (functions) · 321 (extension of functions) · 322 (expenses charged on the Consolidated Fund) · 323 (annual report; non-acceptance of advice laid before Parliament with reasons).
- UPSC conducts the NDA & NA and CDS examinations. Women admitted to NDA & NA for the first time in 2021 — NDA & NA (II) 2021, held 14 November 2021.
- 1966: Indian Forest Service constituted as the third All India Service. 1979: three-stage CSE introduced; London centre discontinued. 1992: Rose Millian Bathew Kharbuli first woman Chairperson. 2011: CSAT introduced; 2015: made qualifying at 33%.
- Prakash Singh vs Union of India, SC order 22 September 2006 — UPSC empanels IPS officers for DGP appointment, from 2012-13.
- Scale: applications 42,727 (1950-51) to 45,10,044 (2022-23). Centres 8 (1950) to 86 (2026). Women recommended in CSE 3 of 83 (1952) to 299 of 958 (2025).
🎯 Practice MCQs
Q1. India's first Public Service Commission was constituted on: (a) 26 January 1950 (b) 1 October 1926 (c) 1 April 1937 (d) 22 August 1949
→ (b) The first Public Service Commission was constituted on 1 October 1926. The other three dates are all real milestones — the Federal PSC becoming the UPSC, the renaming as Federal PSC, and Ambedkar moving the draft articles — which is what makes them effective distractors.
Q2. The Lee Commission, which recommended the immediate establishment of a statutory Public Service Commission, reported in: (a) 1919 (b) 1922 (c) 1935 (d) 1924
→ (d) The Lee Commission, chaired by Arthur Hamilton Lee, reported in 1924. The 1919 Act had already provided for a Commission; the Lee Commission pressed for it to be actually established.
Q3. The first Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service was: (a) Satyendranath Tagore (b) Surendranath Banerjee (c) Romesh Chunder Dutt (d) Behari Lal Gupta
→ (a) Satyendranath Tagore passed in 1863 and joined in 1864. The other three followed about six years later, and are routinely offered as distractors for precisely that reason.
Q4. Under the Constitution, a Member of the Union Public Service Commission may be removed by the President only after an inquiry by the: (a) Central Vigilance Commission (b) Comptroller and Auditor General (c) Supreme Court (d) Parliament, by a special majority
→ (c) Article 317 requires an inquiry by the Supreme Court before removal. This judicial safeguard is the principal protection of the Commission's independence from executive pressure.
Q5. Which Article provides that the expenses of the Union Public Service Commission shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India? (a) Article 315 (b) Article 320 (c) Article 323 (d) Article 322
→ (d) Article 322 charges the Commission's expenses on the Consolidated Fund of India, placing them beyond the annual vote of Parliament — one of the three structural devices securing its independence, alongside Articles 317 and 319.
Q6. Article 319 of the Constitution provides that the Chairman of the UPSC, on ceasing to hold office: (a) Shall be eligible for appointment as Governor of a State (b) Is ineligible for further employment under the Government of India or of a State (c) May be reappointed for one further term (d) Shall be appointed to the Finance Commission
→ (b) The Chairman is ineligible for further government employment. The purpose is to remove any incentive to oblige the executive in the hope of a subsequent appointment.
Q7. By 1919, the number of Indians among the 1,255 officers of the Indian Civil Service was approximately: (a) 78 (b) 312 (c) 575 (d) 625
→ (a) Only 78 of 1,255. The figures 575 and 625 belong to 1940, when Indians in the ICS outnumbered Europeans for the first time — a pairing that makes this a favourite swap.
Q8. The Indian Forest Service was constituted as the third All India Service in: (a) 1951 (b) 1979 (c) 1966 (d) 1985
→ (c) The Indian Forest Service was constituted in 1966, with the first selection in 1967. The All-India Services Act was enacted in 1951, and the three-stage Civil Services Examination was introduced in 1979.
Q9. Women were admitted to the National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination for the first time in: (a) 2015 (b) 2018 (c) 2022 (d) 2021
→ (d) Women sat the NDA & NA Examination for the first time in 2021 — NDA & NA (II) 2021, held on 14 November 2021. The examination is conducted by the UPSC.
Q10. Under Article 323, where the Government does not accept the advice of the Union Public Service Commission, it must: (a) Refer the matter to the Supreme Court for an advisory opinion (b) Obtain the prior concurrence of the Comptroller and Auditor General (c) Lay the case before Parliament, with the reasons for non-acceptance (d) Reconstitute the Commission within six months
→ (c) Article 323 requires the annual report to be laid before Parliament together with a memorandum explaining any case in which the Commission's advice was not accepted, and the reasons. The government may reject the advice; it cannot do so silently.
📋 How this gets asked (PYQ pattern)
Constitutional bodies are among the most heavily examined topics in the CDS general knowledge paper, and the UPSC is the most heavily examined of them.
The first pattern is article-to-provision matching. For the UPSC the high-frequency articles are 315, 316, 317, 320, 322 and 323, and the commonest question gives an article and asks for its content or the reverse. Learn the six; the rest can be reasoned.
The second is the independence devices, which are tested as a set rather than individually. Removal only after Supreme Court inquiry, ineligibility for further office, expenses charged on the Consolidated Fund, and the duty to report non-acceptance of advice. Note that the same four devices, in various combinations, secure the CAG, the Election Commission and the Finance Commission — and that questions often ask which body shares which device.
The third is constitutional versus statutory. The UPSC is constitutional; the Staff Selection Commission is not. The Election Commission is constitutional; the Central Vigilance Commission and the National Human Rights Commission are statutory; NITI Aayog is neither. This single distinction accounts for a startling share of marks lost.
The fourth, and the one this centenary makes especially likely in the coming cycle, is institutional chronology: 1855, 1919, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1937, 1950. When an institution reaches a round anniversary, papers reliably ask for its founding date and its constitutional placement in the same year. Both are now worth knowing cold.
Preparing for CDS/OTA? For every constitutional body, learn four things — the enabling articles, how members are appointed, how they can be removed, and where its expenses are charged. Those four answer most of what is asked about all of them. Build the base with our CDS/OTA polity notes, follow the daily CDS current affairs, and prepare with our faculty in the upcoming Cavalier courses in Delhi.
✍️ Written by Hitendra Deswal — Economy and polity faculty at The Cavalier. Reviewed by the Cavalier Faculty Desk.