The nation’s anti-corruption watchdog has spoken, and its word is final—Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) officers do not fall under its investigative net.
A bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar, joined by Justice L Narayana Swamy, Justice Sanjay Yadav, Sushil Chandra, Pankaj Kumar, and Ajay Tirkey, clarified that the UPSC stands on a unique pedestal: it is born of the Constitution itself, not an Act of Parliament. That distinction, the Lokpal held, keeps its officers outside the scope of its inquiry.
The ruling came while examining a complaint targeting the UPSC Secretary and Additional Secretaries. The petitioner had insisted these senior administrators, being Group ‘A’ officials of the Central Government, were public servants subject to the Lokpal’s jurisdiction.
The bench disagreed. The Lokpal explained that its mandate covers only those officials—whether Group A, B, C, or D—who are or have been in service “in connection with the affairs of the Union.” UPSC officers, despite their high rank, do not fall into that category.
With that, the complaint was shut down, the plea dismissed, and a firm boundary drawn: the UPSC remains outside the Lokpal’s investigative reach.