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The Constitution, Made Understandable.

Article 315

Public Service Commissions for the Union (UPSC), States (SPSC), and Joint Commissions

Official heading: “Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the States”

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Source edition
The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
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Part XIV, Article 315, printed pages 177–178
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1. In One Sentence

Mandates the establishment of a Public Service Commission for the Union and for each State, while enabling two or more States to form a Joint Public Service Commission.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 315 establishes independent constitutional bodies to handle public recruitment: the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for the central government and a State Public Service Commission (SPSC) for each State.

Clause (2) allows two or more States to agree to have a Joint Public Service Commission (JSPSC), created by an Act of Parliament following resolutions passed by the participating State Legislatures.

Clause (4) allows the UPSC to serve the needs of a State upon the request of the State Governor and approval by the President.

These Commissions are designed as independent constitutional authorities insulated from executive and political interference.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

Two small neighboring States decide that instead of maintaining separate costly state commissions, they wish to share a common recruitment body.

Core takeaway: Under Article 315(2), their Legislatures can pass resolutions requesting Parliament to enact legislation establishing a Joint Public Service Commission.
Illustrative Notice: A Joint Commission requires an Act of Parliament; the States cannot unilaterally set it up by executive agreement alone.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 315 guarantees institutional recruitment autonomy across the Indian Republic.

  • Mandatory constitutional bodies: Requires UPSC for the Union and SPSCs for States.
  • Joint Commissions: Parliament can establish Joint Commissions upon mutual State legislative resolutions.
  • UPSC assistance to States: Governor may request UPSC to handle State recruitment with Presidential sanction.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) Subject to the provisions of this article, there shall be a Public Service Commission for the Union and a Public Service Commission for each State. (2) Two or more States may agree that there shall be one Public Service Commission for that group of States, and if a resolution to that effect is passed by the House or, where there are two Houses, by each House of the Legislature of each of those States, Parliament may by law provide for the appointment of a Joint State Public Service Commission (referred to in this Chapter as Joint Commission) to serve the needs of those States. (3) Any such law as aforesaid may contain such incidental and consequential provisions as may be necessary or desirable for giving effect to the purposes of the law. (4) The Public Service Commission for the Union, if requested so to do by the Governor of a State, may, with the approval of the President, agree to serve all or any of the needs of the State. (5) References in this Constitution to the Union Public Service Commission or a State Public Service Commission shall, unless the context otherwise requires, be construed as references to the Commission serving the needs of the Union or, as the case may be, the State as respects the particular matter in question.
Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata
  • •
    Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
    Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XIV, Article 315, printed pages 177–178 • Human source-link check pending

    Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource

Related Constitutional Articles to Explore:

Go to ARTICLE 316 →Go to ARTICLE 317 →Go to ARTICLE 320 →