The Chairman of the State Public Service Commission is appointed by:

CONCEPT: Article 316(1) of the Constitution of India fixes who holds the constitutional power to appoint the Chairman and other Members of a Public Service Commission: one authority for the Union Commission or a Joint Commission shared by two or more States, and a separate authority for a single State’s own Commission.

APPLICATION: For a single State’s own Public Service Commission, Article 316(1) names the Governor of that State as the appointing authority. The Governor appoints the Chairman and Members of the State Commission; the President is named as the appointing authority only for the Union Commission or a Joint Commission covering more than one State.

CONTRAST with the other options:

• Chief Minister: appointed by the Governor under Article 164(1) and heads the State Council of Ministers, which under Article 163 aids and advises the Governor; Article 316 does not name this office as an appointing authority for the Commission.

• President: under Article 316(1), the appointing authority for the Union Public Service Commission and for a Joint Public Service Commission shared by two or more States, not for a single State’s own Commission.

• Parliament: the Union legislature that makes laws on subjects in the Union and Concurrent Lists; Article 316 vests the appointing power in the Governor (or the President), not in the legislature.

So, Article 316(1) makes the Governor the appointing authority for the Chairman of a State’s own Public Service Commission.