UPSC: List of its Chairman from 1926 to 2020

Union Public Service Commission is an independent constitutional body as it is directly created by the Constitution. Know more about UPSC and list of UPSC Chairman from 1926 to 2020.

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 the composition, appointment, and removal of members with independence, powers, and functions are elaborated in the Constitution from Articles 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 visualizes the UPSC as the ‘watchdog of the 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 the government, when consulted, on promotion and disciplinary matters.

Note: It is not concerned with the classification of services, pay and service conditions, cadre management training, and so on. These matters are handled by the Department of Personnel and Training which 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
Name	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	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	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	Incumbent