Judicial pronouncements have significantly shaped the functioning of Public Service Commissions in India. Discuss, in light of the UPSC centenary.

As UPSC completes 100 years since its founding on 1 October 1926 [1], the Prime Minister is releasing a book titled '100 Landmark Judgements – Shaping the Policies of UPSC and Public Service Commissions in India' [2]. The title shows that the courts, working alongside Part XIV of the Constitution, have helped decide how Public Service Commissions (PSCs) recruit, advise and answer for their decisions.

Judgments that strengthened PSCs

• Fair selection norms: In Ashok Kumar Yadav v. State of Haryana (1985), the Supreme Court found that the Haryana PSC gave too much weight to the viva-voce (22.2% for general candidates). It used UPSC's 12.2% as the benchmark and ordered a correction for future selections [3]. This reduced subjectivity in interviews across State PSCs.
• Transparency: After a Supreme Court writ petition (W.P.(C) 118/2024), UPSC now publishes a provisional answer key after the Civil Services Prelims. This applies from 2026, and subject experts review candidates' objections [4].
• Common standards: A ruling about one Commission becomes a precedent for all of them. This is why the centenary book covers UPSC and the State PSCs together [2].

Judgments that limited PSCs

• Advisory, not binding: State of U.P. v. Manbodhan Lal Srivastava (1957) held that consulting the PSC under Article 320(3)(c) is directory, not mandatory. If the government skips it, a disciplinary action is still valid [5]. This weakened the Commission's check on executive discretion.
• Litigation burden: Repeated court challenges to answer keys, cut-offs and selection lists delay results and keep posts vacant, especially in State PSCs.
• Limits of court remedies: Courts can correct procedures after the fact. Deterrence against paper leaks, however, came from Parliament through the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024. That Act covers UPSC but not the State PSCs [6].

Relevance to the centenary

• The Commission has moved from a body set up under the Government of India Act, 1919 to a constitutional body in 1950 [1]. Over this period, court rulings have turned the idea of merit into enforceable rules on fairness, proportionality and openness.

Over a century, the judiciary has helped write PSC practice. It has tightened fairness and transparency, but it has left the Commissions' advisory role dependent on executive restraint. The next step is to turn these rulings into standard operating procedures (SOPs) through the proposed Centre of Excellence for UPSC and State PSCs [7]. Doing so would keep the equality of opportunity promised by Articles 14 and 16 secure for the Commission's second century.