UPSC Chairman: List of Chairmen (1926-2022), Present Chairman

UPSC Chairman & Members: Organizational Structure

Union Public Service Commission is India’s premier central recruiting body, which through the UPSC Exam, conducts the recruitment and examinations for All India services (Group A & Group B), such as the IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, IFoS, etc.

The UPSC’s charter is granted by Part XIV of the Constitution of India, titled Services Under the Union and the States.

☛ Download UPSC Chairman List PDF

UPSC’s organizational structure consists of 9 to 11 members, including the chairman. The terms and conditions of service of the chairman and members of the Commission are governed by the Union Public Service Commission (Members) Regulations, 1969.

• The chairman and any other member of the Commission can submit his resignation at any time to the President of India.
• He may be removed from his office by the President of India on the ground of misbehaviour (only if an inquiry of such misbehaviour is made and upheld by the Supreme Court) or if he is adjudged insolvent or engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office or in the opinion of the President unfit to continue in office because of the infirmity of mind or body.

The Commission is serviced by a Secretariat headed by a Secretary with four Additional Secretaries, several Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, and other supporting staff.

UPSC Chairman List 2022

The list of UPSC Chairman consists of 33 people who served as the Chairman of UPSC. Ross Barker was the first UPSC Chairman in October 1926. Dr Manoj Soni is the current Chairman of UPSC.

A list of UPSC Chairmen from 1926 to date is given below:

UPSC Chairman List	Tenure
Sir Ross Barker	October 1926 – August 1932
Sir David Petrie	August 1932 – 1936
Sir Eyre Gorden	1937 – 1942
Sir F. W. Robertson	1942 – 1947
H. K. Kripalani	April 1, 1947 – January 13, 1949
R. N. Banerjee	January 14, 1949 – May 9, 1955
N. Govindarajan	May 10, 1955 – December 9, 1955
V. S. Hejmadi	December 10, 1955 – December 9, 1961
B. N. Jha	December 11, 1961 – February 22, 1967
K. R. Damle	April 18, 1967 – March 2, 1971
Ranadhir Chandra Sarma Sarkar	May 11, 1971 – February 1, 1973
Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai	February 5, 1973 – February 4, 1979
M. L. Shahare	February 16, 1979 – February 16, 1985
H. K. L. Capoor	February 18, 1985 – March 5, 1990
J. P. Gupta	March 5, 1990 – June 2, 1992
R. M. Bathew	September 23, 1992 – August 23, 1996
S. J. S. Chhatwal	August 23, 1996 – September 30, 1996
J. M. Qureshi	September 30, 1996 – December 11, 1998
Surendra Nath	December 11, 1998 – June 25, 2002
Purna Chandra Hota	June 25, 2002 – September 2003
Mata Prasad	September 2003 – January 2005
S. R. Hashim	January 4, 2005 – April 1, 2006
Gurbachan Jagat	April 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007
Subir Dutta	June 30, 2007 – August 16, 2008
D. P. Agrawal	August 16, 2008 – August 2014
Rajni Razdan	August 16, 2014 – November 21, 2014
Deepak Gupta	November 22, 2014 – September 20, 2016
Alka Sirohi	September 21, 2016 – January 3, 2017
David R. Syiemlieh	January 4, 2017 – January 21, 2018
Vinay Mittal	January 22, 2018 – June 19, 2018
Arvind Saxena	June 20, 2018 – August 24th, 2020
Pradeep Kumar Joshi	August 25th, 2020 – April 4th 2022
Dr Manoj Soni	April 05, 2022- till date

Present UPSC Chairman: Dr.Manoj Soni

Dr. Manoj Soni is the current Chairman of UPSC, who took the oath of office in April 2022. Before this, Dr. Soni had served three terms as Vice-Chancellor, including two consecutive terms as Vice-Chancellor of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) and one as Vice-Chancellor of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (The MSU of Baroda). When he joined the MSU of Baroda, Dr. Soni was the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor in India and the MSU.

• Dr. Manoj Soni is a scholar of Political Science with a specialization in International Relations Studies. Dr. Soni’s doctoral research is on the “Post-Cold War International Systemic Transition and Indo-U.S. Relations”. This is one of the earliest and one-of-its-kind studies from 1992 and 1995.
• Dr. Soni has earned several awards and recognitions.
• Dr. Soni has, in the past, served on the Boards of Governors of several institutions of higher education and public administration.
• He was also a member of a quasi-judicial body constituted by an Act of the Gujarat Legislature, which regulates the fee structure of the un-aided professional intuitions in Gujarat.

UPSC Members

As per the Union Public Service Commission (Members) Regulations, 1969, the following overview regarding the UPSC Members can be concluded:

Parameters	Information
UPSC members number	The UPSC consists of 10 members, with the Chairman as the head
UPSC members tenure	UPSC member holds office for a term of six years or until he/she attains the age of sixty-five years, whichever is earlier.
UPSC members’ salary	Rs 2,25,000 per month.
UPSC members eligibility	Members of the commission are civil servants with at least 10 years of experience in Central or State service.
UPSC members removal	The Chairman or any other member of a Public Service Commission shall only be removed from his office by order of the President on the ground of misbehavior after the Supreme Court, on a reference being made to it by the President, has, on inquiry held following the procedure prescribed in that behalf under Article 145.

UPSC Members [2017 – 2027]

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has ten members and a chairman. The terms and conditions of service of the chairman and members of the Commission are governed by the Union Public Service Commission (Members) Regulations, 1969. Each member holds office for a term of 6 years or until he attains the age of 65 years.

Designation	Name	Date from which holding the Post	Date of Retirement
Member	Ms. Smita Nagaraj	01/12/2017	21/09/2023
Member	Ms. M. Sathiyavathy	09/04/2018	12/05/2023
Member	Sh. Bharat Bhushan Vyas	13/12/2018	14/11/2022
Member	Dr. T. C. A. Anant	14/01/2019	02/01/2023
Member	Sh. Rajiv Nayan Choubey	01/02/2019	27/01/2024
Member	Lt. Gen. Raj Shukla (Retd.)	18/07/2022	26/03/2027

Functions of UPSC

Under Article 320 of the Constitution of India, the Commission is, inter-alia, required to be consulted on all matters relating to recruitment to civil services and posts. The UPSC is a constitutional body. It is a central agency authorized to conduct various examinations in India.

The Commission’s functions under Article 320 of the Constitution are:

• Conduct examinations for appointment to the services of the Union.
• Direct recruitment by selection through interviews.
• Appointment of officers on promotion/deputation/absorption.
• Framing and amendment of Recruitment Rules for various services and posts under the Government.
• Disciplinary cases relating to different Civil Services.
• Advising the Government on any matter referred to the Commission by the President of India.

How is UPSC Chairman Selected?

The Chairman and other members of a Public Service Commission shall be appointed, in the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission, by the President, and in the case of a State Commission, by the Governor of the State:

• Provided that as nearly as may be one-half of the members of every Public Service Commission shall be persons who, at the dates of their respective appointments, have held office for at least ten years either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State. In computing, the said period of ten years, any period before the commencement of this Constitution during which a person has held office under the Crown in India or under the Government of an Indian State, shall be included.
• If the office of the Chairman of the Commission becomes vacant or if any such Chairman is because of absent or for any other reason unable to perform the duties of his office, those duties shall, until some person appointed under clause (1) to the vacant office has entered on the duties thereof or, as the case may be until the Chairman has resumed his duties, be performed by such one of the other members of the Commission as the President, in the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission. In the case of a State Commission, the State Governor may appoint for the purpose.
• A member of a Public Service Commission shall hold office for a term of six years from the date on which he enters upon his office or until he attains, in the case of the Union Commission, the age of sixty-five years, and in the case of a State Commission or a Joint Commission, the age of sixty-two years, whichever is earlier:
  Provided that:
  • a member of a Public Service Commission may, by writing under his hand addressed, in the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission, to the President, and in the case of a State Commission, to the Governor of the State, resign his office
  • a member of a Public Service Commission may be removed from his office in the manner provided in clause (1) or clause (3) of Article 317.
• A person who holds office as a member of a Public Service Commission shall, on the expiration of his term of office, be ineligible for reappointment to that office.

Important UPSC Topics
UPSC Exam Date	UPSC Books
UPSC Exam Pattern	UPSC Exam Analysis
UPSC Syllabus	UPSC Answer Key
UPSC Previous Year Question Papers	UPSC Admit Card
UPSC Cut Off	UPSC Result
UPSC Preparation Strategy	UPSC Study Material