Constitutional Status: Permanent, autonomous constitutional body under Article
324 for conducting free and fair elections to Parliament, State Legislatures, Office of
President, and Office of Vice-President. (Panchayat & Municipal elections conducted by State
Election Commission).
Composition: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) + Election Commissioners (ECs)
appointed by President. Multi-member body since 1993 (1 CEC + 2 ECs). Equal powers and salaries
(same as SC Judge).
Tenure & Security: Holds office for 6 years or until 65 years of
age (whichever is earlier). CEC can be removed ONLY in the same manner and on same
grounds as a Supreme Court Judge.
2. Public Service Commissions: UPSC & SPSC (Article 315 to 323 & Article 317)
Parameter
UPSC (Central Recruiting Agency)
SPSC (State Recruiting Agency)
Appointing Authority
Appointed by President of India
Appointed by Governor of concerned State
Tenure & Age Limit
6 Years or until 65 Years of age
6 Years or until 62 Years of age(Raised from 60 by 41st CAA 1976)
Removal Authority
President (on grounds of misbehaviour after SC inquiry)
President ONLY (Governor cannot remove an SPSC member!)
Role & Nature
Central recruiting agency; advisory role on disciplinary matters
State recruiting agency; advisory role on state service matters
3. Finance Commission of India (Article 280)
Quasi-Judicial Body: Constituted by the President every 5 years (or earlier).
Consists of a Chairman + 4 members appointed by President.
Core Mandate: Recommends distribution of net tax proceeds between Centre and States
(Vertical Devolution) and allocation among States (Horizontal Devolution).
15th Finance Commission (Chaired by N.K. Singh): Recommended 41% vertical
devolution to States (1% adjusted for UT of J&K). Horizontal criteria included Income
Distance (45%), Area (15%), Population 2011 (15%), Demographic Performance (12.5%), Forest & Ecology
(10%), Tax Effort (2.5%).
4. Comptroller and Auditor General of India (Articles 148 – 151)
Guardian of the Public Purse (Article 148):
Appointment & Tenure: Appointed by President by warrant under hand and seal.
Holds office for 6 years or until 65 years of age. Removed in same manner as SC
Judge.
Salary & Expenses: Salary equal to SC Judge; expenses charged on Consolidated
Fund of India (non-votable).
Ineligibility: Ineligible for further office under Centre or State government
after retirement.
3 Audit Reports (Article 151): Submits 3 reports to President (who lays them
before Parliament): (1) Audit report on Appropriation Accounts, (2) Audit report on Finance
Accounts, (3) Audit report on Public Undertakings. Handled by Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Appleby Criticism: Paul H. Appleby (American public administration expert) strongly criticized the role of CAG in India, remarking that the CAG is a "colonial relic" that has a narrowing and depressing effect on administrative initiative by accentuating minor clerical errors.
5. National Commissions (NCSC, NCST, NCBC) & Officers
Body / Office
Article / Amendment
Composition & Key Details
NCSC
Article 338 (89th CAA 2003 bifurcated NCSC/NCST)
Chairman, Vice-Chairman + 3 Members. Investigates rights violations of SCs.
NCST
Article 338A (89th CAA 2003)
Chairman, Vice-Chairman + 3 Members. Safeguards interests of STs.
NCBC
Article 338B (102nd CAA 2018)
Constitutional status conferred in 2018. Examines complaints of Backward Classes.
SOLM
Article 350B (7th CAA 1956)
Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities appointed by President. Submits reports to
President.
Advocate General
Article 165
Highest law officer in State. Appointed by Governor (qualified to be HC Judge). Holds office
during pleasure of Governor.
6. Public Services (Part XIV) & Official Language (Part XVII)
Public Services (Articles 308 – 323)
Article 309: Recruitment and conditions of service of persons serving the Union
or a State regulated by Acts of appropriate Legislature.
Article 310 (Doctrine of Pleasure): Civil servants hold office during the
pleasure of the President (for Union) or pleasure of the
Governor (for State).
Article 311 (Constitutional Safeguards for Civil Servants): • Cannot be dismissed/removed by an authority subordinate to that by which appointed.
• Inquiry requirement & reasonable opportunity of being heard. 42nd
CAA 1976 removed second opportunity of representation on penalty proposed.
Article 312: All-India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS created in 1966). Rajya Sabha
must pass resolution by 2/3rd majority to create new All-India Service.
Official Language (Part XVII, Articles 343 – 351)
Article
Subject Matter
Constitutional Mandate
Article 343
Official Language of Union
Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union.
International form of Indian numerals. English continued as associate language.
Article 345 & 347
Regional Languages
State Legislature may adopt any one or more languages in use in the State or Hindi as
official language. President may recognize language spoken by a section (Art 347).
Article 348
Language of Courts
All proceedings in Supreme Court and every High Court shall be in English
language until Parliament by law otherwise provides. Acts, bills, orders in
English text.
Article 350A & 351
Special Directives
Adequate facilities for instruction in mother-tongue at primary stage for
linguistic minorities (Art 350A). Duty of Union to promote spread of Hindi
language (Art 351).
6 Classical Languages of India
The Ministry of Culture provides the status of 'Classical Language' based on high antiquity of early texts (1500–2000 years), valuable ancient heritage, and original literary tradition. Currently 6 languages enjoy Classical Status:
Language
Year Conferred Classical Status
Key Criteria & Significance
Tamil
2004
First language in India to be accorded Classical Language status. Ancient Sangam literature.
Sanskrit
2005
Vedic & classical Sanskrit texts; primary liturgical language of Hinduism/Buddhism/Jainism.
Telugu
2008
Rich Dravidian literary tradition dating back over a millennium.
Kannada
2008
Ancient epigraphs (Halmidi inscription) and Kavirajamarga.
Malayalam
2013
Independent Dravidian literary tradition (Ramacharitam, Manipravalam).
Odia
2014
First Indo-Aryan language to receive classical status; Charyapada & ancient Buddhist texts.