The role of the civil services in a democracy

Permanence and anonymity let a civil service serve successive governments, but those same qualities also insulate it from accountability, which is the core tension between political responsiveness and bureaucratic neutrality. Conditions of service are set by Article 309; Article 311 requires a procedure before dismissal or reduction in rank; Article 312 authorises all-India services on a Rajya Sabha resolution. Conduct and discipline flow through the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 and cadre rules. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005–09) examined the services across fifteen reports, addressing tenure protection, the generalist-specialist question, and lateral entry.