Indian Civil Service
Also called: ICS · Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the top civil service of British India. It ran district and provincial administration. After the Macaulay Committee (1854) recommended open competition, the first ICS examination was held in London in 1855. Lloyd George called it the "steel frame" of British rule in 1922. Critics said it was "neither Indian, nor civil, nor a service". Sardar Patel still argued for keeping a similar all-India service after independence.
Example
Satyendranath Tagore became the first Indian selected for the ICS in 1863. In October 1946, the Premiers' Conference agreed to create the IAS and IPS to take the place of the ICS. Former ICS officers kept protected service terms under Article 314. The 28th Amendment (1972) replaced it with Article 312A.
Don't confuse with
- Indian Administrative Service: the IAS is the All India Service under Article 312 that took the ICS's place after independence. The ICS was the colonial-era service.