Constitution of India · Part XIV: Services Under the Union and the States · Chapter II: Public Service Commissions
Article 315: Public Service Commissions for the Union and for the States
In plain words
There is a Public Service Commission for the Union and one for each State. Two or more States can agree to share a Joint State Public Service Commission, which Parliament can set up by law after each State Legislature passes a resolution.
- The Union Public Service Commission can, at a Governor's request and with the President's approval, serve all or any of a State's needs.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official 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.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the official text of the Constitution of India. As amended up to the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023. Text as on 10 September 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the article 315
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IN RE: MEPUNG TADAR BAGE, MEMBER, ARUNACHAL PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION versus
Leakage of question paper of Assistant Engineer (Civil) Mains Examination conducted by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), on 26th and 27th August, 2022, led to the present reference by the Hon’ble…
- State of Punjab v. Saul Sabhlok and Ors.
- Bihar Public Service Commission v. Saiyed Hussain Abbas Rizwi & Anr.
- Reference Under Article 317 (1) No.2 of 2008 in Re: Mehar Singh Saini, Chairman, Hpsc and Ors. v. --
- Ram Kumar Kashyap and Anr. v. Union of India
- Reference No. 1/2006 Under Article 317 (1) of the Constitution of v. *
- Andhra Pradesh Service Commission v. Baloji Badhavath & Ors.
- Ref: v. Smt. Sayalee Sanjeev Joshi, Member, Maharashtra Public Service Commission
- Nair Service Society v. State of Kerala
- Surendra Prasad Tiwari v. Uttar Pradesh Rajya Krishi Utpadan Mandi Parishad and Ors.
- Inderpreet Singh Kahlon and Ors. v. Sta Te of Punjab and Ors.
- Secretary, State of Karnataka and Ors. v. Umadevi and Ors.
- State of Uttaranchal and Ors. v. Sidharth Srivastava and Ors.
- T.N. Seshan, Chief Election Commissioner of India Etc. v. Union of India and Others
- Bihar Public Service Commission and Anr. Etc. v. Dr. Shiv Jatan Thakur and Ors. Etc.
- Reference Under Article 317(1) of the Constitution of India v. -