Charging of Public Service Commission Expenses on the Consolidated Fund
Official heading: “Expenses of Public Service Commissions”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XIV, Article 322, printed page 182
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Directs that the expenses, salaries, allowances, and pensions of Public Service Commissions shall be charged on the Consolidated Fund of India or of the State.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
To preserve financial independence from the ruling political executive, Article 322 mandates that all expenses of the Public Service Commissions are charged directly on the Consolidated Fund.
For the UPSC, expenses are charged on the Consolidated Fund of India; for State Commissions, on the Consolidated Fund of the State.
Because these expenses are "charged", they are non-votable by Parliament or State Legislatures, guaranteeing that the Commission cannot be starved of operational funds.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
During state budget debates, ruling party legislators attempt to reduce the operating budget of the State PSC because they are unhappy with examination outcomes.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 322 provides institutional financial immunity to Public Service Commissions.
- Charged expenditure: Salaries, pensions, and administrative expenses are charged on the Consolidated Fund.
- Non-votable protection: Budget cannot be reduced or rejected through annual legislative voting.
- Guarantees autonomy: Prevents executive or legislative financial coercion against independent selection bodies.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XIV, Article 322, printed page 182 • 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.