On 10 November 2026, probationers of the Indian Police Service, 78 RR (2025 batch), called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan (PIB release 2334622). She told them that real respect comes from performance and not from legal authority, that they should learn even from the most junior member of the team, and that cyber-crime and deepfakes demand a new approach. These officers belong to one of the three All India Services: recruited and trained by the Union, posted to a state, and answerable to both. That arrangement is a favourite UPSC topic because it sits where federalism meets the civil service, and each fact in it is a clean one-mark question.
From the ICS to the IAS: The Steel Frame
By Aditya Tiwari · Polity faculty, The Cavalier · Lawyer, 10 years teaching law and Polity
The story begins with the East India Company. Lord Cornwallis (Governor-General 1786–93) gave its officers high salaries so that they would stop private trade and separated revenue work from justice. He is remembered as the father of the civil services in India. The Charter Act of 1853 opened entry to open competition, and in 1863 Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service (ICS). The ICS built a tradition of independence and hard work, but it served British interests and had few Indians.
British Prime Minister Lloyd George called the ICS the "steel frame" of the whole structure of British rule in a speech of 1922. After independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel argued that a united India needed a strong, independent all-India administration, and he is called the Father of the All India Services. On 21 April 1947 he addressed the first probationers of the new administrative service at Metcalfe House in Delhi; the date is now Civil Services Day.
In 1947 the Indian Civil Service was replaced by the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and the Indian Police by the Indian Police Service (IPS). When the Constitution came into force they were recognised as All India Services. In the Constituent Assembly Dr B.R. Ambedkar defended them: federations normally have two civil services, but India would add one All India Service for the strategic posts, with common qualifications and a uniform scale of pay. The committee background is on our page on Constituent Assembly committees.
Article 312 and the 1951 Act
| Provision | What it says |
|---|---|
| Article 312(1) | Parliament may create a new All India Service by law, but only after the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution, supported by two-thirds of the members present and voting, declaring it necessary or expedient in the national interest |
| Article 312(2) | The IAS and IPS, as they stood on 26 January 1950, are deemed to be services created under this article |
| All-India Judicial Service | Added to Article 312 by the 42nd Amendment (1976). It cannot include any post below that of a district judge. Its law is not treated as a constitutional amendment under Article 368. No such law has been made so far |
| Article 312A | Inserted by the 28th Amendment (1972): Parliament can vary or revoke the service conditions of officers appointed before 1950 by the Crown |
| All India Services Act, 1951 | Authorises the Centre, in consultation with the states, to make rules on recruitment and service conditions of All India Service members |
Why the Rajya Sabha? It represents the states, so their voice is built into the creation of any service that will serve them. Three powers belong to it alone: authorising Parliament to legislate on a State List subject (Article 249), starting the creation of an All India Service (Article 312) and starting the removal of the Vice-President. See parliamentary composition.
The third service came later. A 1963 provision allowed three more services (forest, medical and health, and engineering), but only the Indian Forest Service (IFoS) was created, in 1966. IFoS avoids confusion with the Indian Foreign Service, which is a Central service.
| Service | Created | Cadre-controlling authority | Academy |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAS | 1947 (deemed Article 312 service) | Department of Personnel and Training | LBS National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie |
| IPS | 1947 (deemed Article 312 service) | Ministry of Home Affairs | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad |
| IFoS | 1966 | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change | Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun |
Mussoorie also hosts the common foundation course for civil-service probationers. The all-India character shows in the pay: each service forms one service with common rights, status and pay scales across the country, whichever state the officer serves.
Who Controls an IAS Officer?
The Centre has no cadre of its own. Officers are recruited through UPSC and trained by the Union, then assigned to a state cadre (or a joint cadre such as AGMUT). They serve the Centre only on deputation, for a fixed tenure, and then return. Their salaries and pensions are paid by the states. Control is split: immediate control lies with the state, ultimate control with the Centre. A state can post and supervise an officer, but penalties can be imposed only by the Central government.
| Question | Who decides |
|---|---|
| Who recruits, trains and allots the cadre? | The Union (UPSC test, Union academies, cadre-allocation policy) |
| Who posts the officer day to day? | The state government of the cadre |
| Who pays salary and pension? | The state (the Centre pays on deputation) |
| Who can impose penalties? | Only the Union government |
| Who can send the officer to the Centre? | The Union, with the state's concurrence; the Centre has the last word in a dispute |
Promotion from the states. Under the 1951 Act, up to one-third of senior posts are filled by promoting state-service officers, on the recommendation of a state selection committee headed by the UPSC Chairman or a member.
Cadre allocation. Candidates state a preference, and vacancies are split between "insiders" (home state) and "outsiders". The 2017 policy grouped cadres into five zones. In January 2026 the Centre replaced the zones with four alphabetical groups of cadres, to apply from the 2026 examination cycle. The Department of Personnel handles the IAS, the Home Ministry the IPS and the Environment Ministry the IFoS.
Deputation. Rule 6(1) of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954 requires the state's concurrence for sending an officer to the Centre, but also says that if the two disagree, the Centre decides and the state must give effect. A Central Deputation Reserve of up to 40 per cent of senior posts is meant to keep the Centre staffed, but many states fall short. The Centre proposed tighter amendments in late 2021, and several states objected; the reports we checked showed no final decision.
For: they keep standards high at both levels, give uniformity across the country, and ease Centre-state coordination. Against: they limit the autonomy and patronage of the states, which is why textbooks list them among the features that tilt Indian federalism towards the Centre. The Rajamannar Committee (Tamil Nadu) wanted them abolished; the Sarkaria Commission wanted them strengthened, with more services added. Our page on the state government and Governor shows the state-level view.
UPSC and Articles 308 to 323
The Union Public Service Commission is an independent constitutional body. It traces back to the Public Service Commission of 1926, set up on the Lee Commission's recommendation. The rules for it, the State Commissions and the services themselves sit in Part XIV. Our page on constitutional bodies covers other such institutions.
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| 309 | Parliament and state legislatures regulate recruitment and conditions of service; the President or Governor makes rules until they do |
| 310 | Officers hold office during the pleasure of the President or Governor |
| 311 | Safeguards: no dismissal by an authority subordinate to the appointing authority; inquiry with a hearing before dismissal, removal or reduction in rank (with three exceptions) |
| 312 | All India Services |
| 315 | Public Service Commissions for the Union and the states |
| 316–317 | Appointment, term and removal of members |
| 320 | Functions of the Commissions |
| 322 | Expenses charged on the Consolidated Fund |
| 323 | Annual reports to the President and Parliament |
UPSC members are appointed by the President for six years or until age 65, whichever comes first. At least half must have held government office for ten years. They can be removed only on grounds in the Constitution. For misbehaviour, the President must refer the matter to the Supreme Court, and its advice is binding. After the first term, the member cannot be reappointed, and the Chairman cannot take any further government job. A State Commission's members are appointed by the Governor but can be removed only by the President.
The role is narrower than many think. UPSC conducts examinations and is consulted on recruitment methods, promotions and disciplinary matters, the "watchdog of the merit system". But its advice is not binding, and cadre management, pay and training belong to the Department of Personnel and Training. For how civil-servant training is being reshaped, read our article on Mission Karmayogi.
Three All India Services, not four (the Foreign Service is a Central service). The resolution is in the Rajya Sabha, not the Lok Sabha, and needs two-thirds of those present and voting. The judicial service exists on paper only. The Centre has no cadre of its own. And the President can remove a State Commission member although the Governor appoints him.
How UPSC Has Asked It: Past Papers Solved
These are actual CDS and NDA questions, from history to polity to training institutions.
Who among the following was the first Indian to qualify for the Indian Civil Service?
(a) Satyendranath Tagore (b) Surendranath Banerjee (c) R.C. Dutt (d) Subhas Chandra Bose
Answer: (a). He qualified in 1863. Surendranath Banerjea passed in 1869 but was disqualified, R.C. Dutt entered in 1869, and Bose passed in 1920 and resigned.
Statement I: The British ruled India through a modern bureaucracy headed by the Indian Civil Service, whose members were recruited through merit based on open competition. Statement II: The Indian Civil Service was based on the wholehearted participation of Indians.
(a) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I (b) Both the statements are individually true and Statement II is NOT the correct explanation of Statement I (c) Statement I is true but Statement II is false (d) Statement I is false but Statement II is true
Answer: (c). Open competition was introduced in 1853. But the ICS had very few Indians for most of its history, so "wholehearted participation" is false.
Rajya Sabha has exclusive jurisdiction in
(a) creation of new States (b) declaring a war (c) financial emergency (d) authorizing Parliament to legislate on a subject in the State List
Answer: (d). This is Article 249. Article 312 is another Rajya Sabha power. New states are created by Parliament as a whole, under Article 3.
Consider the following statements about the powers of the Governor of a State : 1. The Governor has the power to appoint the Advocate-General. 2. Advocate-General holds office during the pleasure of the Governor. 3. The members of the State Public Service Commission are appointed by the Governor. 4. The members of the State Public Service Commission can be removed by the President of India on the report of the Governor. Which of the statements given above are correct?
(a) 1, 2, 3 and 4 (b) 1, 3 and 4 only (c) 2 and 4 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 only
Answer: (d). Statements 1 to 3 are correct. Statement 4 is wrong: the President removes a member on grounds in the Constitution, and for misbehaviour only after a Supreme Court inquiry, not on the Governor's report.
Which one of the following is neither a constitutional nor a statutory body ?
(a) Finance Commission (b) NITI Aayog (c) National Green Tribunal (d) Union Public Service Commission
Answer: (b). NITI Aayog was set up by an executive resolution. The Finance Commission and UPSC are constitutional, and the National Green Tribunal is statutory.
Who among the following are the two civil servants who assisted the Constituent Assembly in framing the Constitution of India?
(a) B.N. Rau and K.M. Munshi (b) S.N. Mukherjee and Alladi Krishnaswamy Aiyar (c) B.N. Rau and S.N. Mukherjee (d) K.M. Munshi and Alladi Krishnaswamy Aiyar
Answer: (c). B.N. Rau was the Constitutional Adviser and S.N. Mukherjee the chief draftsman. Munshi and Alladi were members of the Assembly.
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists: List-I (Training Institute): A. National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics; B. LBS National Academy of Administration; C. National Academy of Audit and Accounts; D. All India Institute of Local Self Government. List-II (Location): 1. Mussoorie; 2. Shimla; 3. Mumbai; 4. Palasamudram.
(a) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4 (b) A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4 (c) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3 (d) A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3
Answer: (c). NACIN is at Palasamudram in Andhra Pradesh, LBSNAA at Mussoorie, the audit academy at Shimla and the Institute of Local Self Government in Mumbai.
Ask of every body: who appoints, who removes, and does its advice bind? Match-the-following questions on academies are free marks if you know the main cities.
Practice MCQs (with answers)
- A new All India Service can be created under Article 312 only after a resolution passed by
- the Lok Sabha by a simple majority
- the Rajya Sabha by two-thirds of members present and voting
- a joint sitting of Parliament
- the Rajya Sabha by an absolute majority of its total membership
- Which of the following is NOT an All India Service?
- Indian Administrative Service
- Indian Police Service
- Indian Forest Service
- Indian Foreign Service
- The Indian Forest Service was created in
- 1966
- 1947
- 1951
- 1976
- An IAS officer's penalty (such as dismissal) can be imposed by
- the Chief Minister of the home state
- the Governor of the cadre state
- the state Chief Secretary
- the Central government
- The All India Services Act was passed in
- 1947
- 1951
- 1956
- 1966
- Which of the following services has been provided for under Article 312 but never created?
- Indian Forest Service
- Indian Police Service
- All-India Judicial Service
- Indian Administrative Service
- The Chairman of UPSC is appointed by the
- President
- Prime Minister
- Chief Justice of India
- Speaker of Lok Sabha
- The training academy for IPS officers is located at
- Mussoorie
- Dehradun
- Hyderabad
- Mount Abu
1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-d, 5-b, 6-c, 7-a, 8-c. Q1: the number needed is two-thirds of those present and voting, not of total membership. Q2: the Foreign Service is a Central service. Q5: the Act is of 1951 and lets the Centre frame the rules. Q8: the National Police Academy began at Mount Abu in 1948 but has been in Hyderabad since 1975.
Quick Revision
- Cornwallis = father of civil services; open competition 1853; Satyendranath Tagore, first Indian ICS, 1863; "steel frame" for the ICS (Lloyd George, 1922).
- 1947: ICS to IAS, IP to IPS. Patel = Father of the All India Services; Civil Services Day = 21 April.
- Article 312: Rajya Sabha resolution, two-thirds of members present and voting, national interest, then Parliament makes a law. IAS and IPS deemed created. All-India Judicial Service (42nd Amendment, 1976) not created yet.
- All India Services Act, 1951. IFoS from 1966. Three services only. Foreign Service = Central service.
- Centre has no cadre of its own. State controls day to day, Centre has ultimate control and imposes penalties. Single service with common pay scale.
- Cadre allocation: five zones (2017), four alphabetical groups from January 2026. Central Deputation Reserve: up to 40%; Centre decides in a dispute.
- Articles 308–314 (services), 315–323 (Public Service Commissions). UPSC: six years or 65; President removes; Supreme Court inquiry for misbehaviour is binding; advice is not binding.
- Academies: LBSNAA Mussoorie (IAS), SVPNPA Hyderabad (IPS), IGNFA Dehradun (IFoS).
Frequently asked questions
What is Article 312 of the Constitution?
Article 312 allows Parliament to create new All India Services by law, but only after the Rajya Sabha passes a resolution supported by two-thirds of the members present and voting, declaring it necessary in the national interest. It also treats the IAS and IPS as services created under this power.
How many All India Services are there?
There are three: the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). The Indian Foreign Service is a Central service, not an All India Service. An All-India Judicial Service is provided for in Article 312 but has not been created.
Who controls IAS and IPS officers, the Centre or the states?
Both. Officers are recruited and trained by the Centre and serve in a state cadre, where the state government exercises day-to-day control. The Centre keeps ultimate control, and only the Central government can impose penalties such as dismissal.
Why is Sardar Patel called the Father of the All India Services?
Patel argued in the Constituent Assembly that a united India needed a strong all-India administration with the independence to speak its mind. On 21 April 1947 he addressed the first probationers of the new administrative service at Metcalfe House in Delhi. That date is now observed as Civil Services Day.
What is the role of UPSC in the All India Services?
UPSC conducts the examination through which officers are recruited and is consulted on promotions and disciplinary matters. Its advice is not binding. Cadre management, pay and training belong to the Department of Personnel and Training.
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