Civil Services Board
Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A Civil Services Board (CSB) is a committee of senior officers that recommends transfers and postings of officers. It is headed by the Cabinet Secretary at the Centre and the Chief Secretary in a state. The Supreme Court ordered CSBs in the T.S.R. Subramanian case (31 October 2013), a PIL filed by retired officers. The aim was to stop politicians from using sudden transfers to reward or punish officers. The 2014 amendments to the cadre rules created CSBs and set a two-year minimum tenure.
Example
Ashok Khemka's frequent transfers in Haryana and Durga Shakti Nagpal's suspension in UP (2013) showed why such Boards were needed. Even so, compliance is patchy. States often override their Boards by citing "administrative exigency".
Don't confuse with
- Police Establishment Board: this board was created by the Prakash Singh ruling (2006). It decides transfers, postings and promotions of police officers up to DSP rank, while a CSB covers civil service officers.