Union Public Service Commission is an independent constitutional body as it is directly created by the Constitution and is the central recruiting agency in India.
The provisions related to composition, appointment and removal of members with the independence, powers and functions are elaborated in the Constitution from Article 315 to 323 in Part XIV.
The first Chairman of the UPSC was Sir Ross Barker. In October 1926, he joined the office and holds the post till August 1932. The UPSC consists of the Chairman and therefore the members appointed by the President of India. They hold office for a term of six years or till the age of 65 years.
The constitution visualises the UPSC as the ‘watch-dog of merit system’ in India. It is concerned with the recruitment to the all-India services and central services of group A and group B. It also advises government, when consulted, on promotion and disciplinary matters.
Note: It is not concerned with the classification of services, pays and service conditions, cadre management training and so on. These matters are handled by the Department of Personnel and Training that is one of the three departments of the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
Therefore we can say that UPSC is only a central recruiting agency whereas the Department of Personnel and Training is the central personnel agency in India.
National Recruitment Agency (NRA): Salient Features, Advantages and Key Facts
List of UPSC Chairman from 1926 to 2020
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Name | Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Tenure |
| Sir Ross Barker | October 1926 – August 1932 |
| Sir David Petrie | August 1932 – 1936 |
| Sir Eyre Gorden | 1937 – 1942 |
| Sir F. W. Robertson | 1942 – 1947 |
| Sh. H. K. Kripalani | April 1, 1947 – January 13, 1949 |
| Sh. R. N. Banerjee | January 14, 1949 – May 9, 1955 |
| Sh. N. Govindarajan | May 10, 1955 – December 9, 1955 |
| Sh. V. S. Hejmadi | December 10, 1955 – December 9, 1961 |
| Sh. B. N. Jha | December 11, 1961 – February 22, 1967 |
| Sh. K. R. Damle | April 18, 1967 – March 2, 1971 |
| Sh. R.C.S. Sarkar | May 11, 1971 – February 1, 1973 |
| Dr. A.R. Kidwai | February 5, 1973 – February 4, 1979 |
| Dr. M.L. Shahare | February 16, 1979 – February 16, 1985 |
| Sh. H.K.L. Capoor | February 18, 1985 – March 5, 1990 |
| Sh. J.P. Gupta | March 5, 1990 – June 2, 1992 |
| Smt. R.M. Bathew (Kharbuli) | September 23, 1992 – August 23, 1996 |
| Sh. S.J.S. Chhatwal | August 23, 1996 – September 30, 1996 |
| Sh. J.M. Qureshi | September 30, 1996 – December 11, 1998 |
| Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Surinder Nath | December 11, 1998 – June 25, 2002 |
| Sh. P.C. Hota | June 25, 2002 – September 2003 |
| Sh. Mata Prasad | Â September 8, 2003- January 4, 2005 |
| Dr. S.R. Hashim | January 4, 2005 – April 1, 2006 |
| Sh. Gurbachan Jagat | April 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007 |
| D. P. Agrawal | Â June 30, 2007-August 16, 2014 |
| Mrs. Rajni Razdan | August 17, 2014 – November 22, 2014 |
| Sh. Deepak Gupta | November 23, 2014 – September 20, 2016 |
| Smt. Alka Sirohi | September 21, 2016 – January 3, 2017 |
| Prof. David R. Syiemlieh | January 4, 2017 – January 21, 2018 |
| Vinay Mittal | January 21, 2018 – June 19, 2018 |
| Arvind Saxena | June 20, 2018 – August 6, 2020 |
| Pradeep Kumar Joshi | Â Incumbent |
List of Chief Election Commissioners of India 2020
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