Polity
Constitutional and Statutory Bodies
Constitutional and Statutory Bodies — Quick Revision
One-page CGPSC quick revision for the Election Commission, CAG, UPSC and State PSCs, and Finance Commission: articles, tenure, removal and key facts.
Four constitutional bodies on one page: articles, appointment, tenure, removal, functions and the Chhattisgarh links. For explanations, go back to the chapter.
How to use this sheet
Scan it top to bottom in the week before Prelims. Bold entries are the facts examiners return to most often.
The Four Bodies at a Glance
| Feature | Election Commission | CAG | UPSC / State PSC | Finance Commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Articles | 324–329 (Part XV) | 148–151 | 315–323 (Part XIV) | 280–281 |
| Appointed by | President (under the 2023 Act) | President, by warrant | President / Governor | President |
| Members | CEC + ECs (number fixed by President; 3 since 1993) | Single | Number fixed by President / Governor | Chairman + 4 |
| Term | 6 years or 65 | 6 years or 65 | 6 years or 65 (UPSC) / 62 (SPSC) | As specified by the President; every 5 years |
| Removal | CEC like an SC judge; ECs on the CEC’s recommendation | Like an SC judge | By the President only; SC inquiry for misbehaviour | — |
| After office | No constitutional bar | No further office | UPSC chairman: none; others: only up the PSC ladder | Eligible for reappointment |
| Reports to | — | President / Governor | President / Governor (Art 323) | President (Art 281) |
| Expenses | Not charged | Charged on CFI | Charged (Art 322) | — |
Election Commission
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Constituted | 25 January 1950 (National Voters’ Day since 2011) |
| First CEC | Sukumar Sen |
| Multi-member | 16 Oct 1989 – 1 Jan 1990; again from 1 Oct 1993 |
| T.N. Seshan v. UoI (1995) | Multi-member body valid; CEC first among equals; majority decides |
| Anoop Baranwal (2 Mar 2023) | Interim selection: PM + LoP + CJI |
| CEC and ECs Act, 2023 | Selection Committee: PM, LoP, Cabinet Minister nominated by PM; Search Committee under the Law Minister; in force 2 Jan 2024 |
| Arts 325 / 326 | Single roll / adult suffrage (18 years, 61st Amendment Act, 1988) |
| Art 329 | Courts barred; only an election petition (High Court) |
| Binding opinion | On disqualification of MPs (Art 103) and MLAs (Art 192) |
| Firsts | EVM 1982 Paravur; VVPAT 2013 Noksen; NOTA 2013 (Chhattisgarh among first five states) |
| CEC (as of 2026) | Gyanesh Kumar, 26th CEC, since February 2025 |
| Chhattisgarh | 90 MLAs, 11 Lok Sabha, 5 Rajya Sabha seats |
CAG
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Law under Art 149 | DPC Act, 1971 |
| Salary | Equal to a Supreme Court judge |
| Art 150 | Form of accounts: President, on the CAG’s advice |
| Art 151 | Union reports → President → Parliament; State reports → Governor → legislature |
| PAC | CAG is its “friend, philosopher and guide”, not a member |
| Union accounts separated from audit | 1976 |
| Discretionary audit | Propriety audit |
| Secret service expenditure | CAG accepts a certificate; cannot call for details |
| First Auditor General / first CAG | Sir Edward Drummond (1860) / V. Narahari Rao |
| CAG (as of 2026) | K. Sanjay Murthy, 15th CAG, since 21 Nov 2024 |
UPSC and State PSCs
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | PSC 1 Oct 1926 (Lee Commission); Federal PSC 1937; UPSC 1950 |
| Qualification | Half the members with 10 years of government service |
| SPSC | Appointed by Governor, removed by President |
| Removal grounds | Misbehaviour (SC inquiry, binding); insolvency; outside paid employment; infirmity |
| Joint State PSC | Statutory, by a law of Parliament; appointed by the President |
| Art 320(4) | No consultation on reservation |
| Advice | Advisory; Manbodhan Lal Srivastava (1957): Art 320(3) directory |
| Art 323 | Annual report + memorandum on non-acceptance |
| UPSC chairman (as of 2026) | Ajay Kumar (appointed May 2025) |
| CGPSC | Art 315; came into existence 2001 (23 May 2001 per official histories); Raipur; first chairman Mohan Shukla |
Finance Commission
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Qualifications law | FC (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1951 |
| Members | Chairman (public affairs) + HC judge-level, accounts, finance and administration, economics |
| 280(3)(bb), (c) | Local bodies: 73rd and 74th Amendments; based on SFC reports |
| Divisible pool | Art 270; excludes cesses and surcharges |
| Grants | Art 275 statutory; Art 282 discretionary |
| 1st FC | K.C. Neogy (1951) |
| 14th FC | Y.V. Reddy, 42% |
| 15th FC | N.K. Singh, 41%, 2021–26; Chhattisgarh’s share 3.407% |
| 16th FC | Arvind Panagariya; constituted 31 Dec 2023; 2026–31; 41%; laid 1 Feb 2026 |
| 16th FC weights | Income distance 42.5, population 17.5, area 10, forest and ecology 10, demographic performance 10, GDP contribution 10 (new); tax effort dropped |
Constitutional vs Non-Constitutional Bodies
| Constitutional | Statutory | Executive (neither) |
|---|---|---|
| ECI (324), CAG (148), UPSC and SPSC (315), FC (280), SEC (243K), SFC (243I), NCSC (338), NCST (338A), NCBC (338B), GST Council (279A), Attorney General (76), Advocate General (165) | NHRC and State HRCs (1993 Act), CVC (2003 Act), CIC (RTI Act 2005), Lokpal (2013 Act), Joint State PSC | NITI Aayog (2015 resolution) |
Don’t Confuse
| This | vs | That |
|---|---|---|
| CEC: removed like an SC judge | vs | State Election Commissioner: removed like an HC judge |
| ECI: Parliament, assemblies, President, VP | vs | SEC: panchayats and municipalities |
| UPSC: retire at 65 | vs | SPSC: retire at 62 |
| SPSC: appointed by Governor | vs | SPSC: removed by President |
| CAG: no further office | vs | UPSC member: can become UPSC or SPSC chairman |
| Art 275: statutory grants | vs | Art 282: discretionary grants |
| 14th FC: 42% | vs | 15th and 16th FC: 41% |
| Finance Commission: shares Union taxes | vs | GST Council: sets GST rates |
Favourite MCQ trap
“The Governor can remove the chairman of the State Public Service Commission.” Wrong. The Governor appoints and may suspend during an inquiry, but only the President can remove (Art 317).
Second favourite trap
“The Election Commissioners enjoy the same security of tenure as the Chief Election Commissioner.” Wrong. Only the CEC is removable like a Supreme Court judge. The ECs can be removed on the CEC’s recommendation (Art 324(5)).
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