Public Service Commissions & Article 311 — KSLU Constitutional Law 2 Notes

Public Service Commissions & Article 311

Civil servants hold office “at the pleasure” of the President/Governor (Art. 310) — but that pleasure is fenced by Article 311:

flowchart TD
    A["Article 311 protection"]:::root
    A --> B["No dismissal/removal by an<br/>authority subordinate to the<br/>appointing authority"]:::leaf
    A --> C["A fair INQUIRY + reasonable<br/>opportunity of being heard"]:::leaf
    A --> D["Three exceptions to inquiry:<br/>(i) conviction (ii) impracticable<br/>(iii) State security"]:::ex

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    classDef leaf fill:#E6F3FF,stroke:#1E3A8A,color:#000;
    classDef ex fill:#FFE6E6,stroke:#8A1E1E,color:#000;
    linkStyle default stroke:#888,stroke-width:1px;

Article 311 guarantees a government servant a departmental inquiry and a hearing before dismissal, removal or reduction in rank, subject to three narrow exceptions (Art. 311(2) proviso). Union of India v. Tulsiram Patel (1985) explained when the exceptions apply. The Public Service Commissions (Arts. 315–323) ensure merit-based recruitment and protect the integrity of the services.