Lee Commission of 1924 and Civil Services

The Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms and the Government of India Act 1919 introduced Dyarchy in British Indian provinces. This setup created a conflict between elected Indian ministers handling transferred subjects and European officers of the All-India Services serving under them. British officers expressed discontent over working under Indian political control, leading many to seek early retirement under liberalized pension rules.

Political Demands and Setting Up the Commission

Indian national leaders demanded faster Indianization of higher administrative positions and local control over civil servants. In response to British officer resignations and growing Indian nationalist pressure, the British Crown appointed the Royal Commission on the Superior Civil Services in India in March 1923. Headed by Lord Lee of Fareham, the body became popular as the Lee Commission.

Structure and Composition of the Lee Commission

Equal Racial Representation

The Lee Commission stood out for its equal representation of British and Indian members to ensure a balanced inquiry.

• Chairman: Lord Lee of Fareham
• British Members: Sir Reginald Craddock, Sir Cyril Jackson, David Petri, and Professor Reginald Coupland.
• Indian Members: N. M. Samarth, Sir Muhammad Habibullah, Hari Kishan Kaul, and Bhupendranath Basu.

The commission assembled in Delhi in November 1923, gathered evidence across India, and submitted its final report in March 1924.

Key Recommendations of the Lee Commission

Classification and Division of Civil Services

The commission proposed dividing the public services into three administrative cadres based on operational control:

• All-India Services (Reserved Subjects): The Secretary of State for India retained control over recruitment and service conditions for core security and administrative services. These included the Indian Civil Service (ICS), Indian Police (IP), Indian Forest Service (IFS), and Indian Service of Engineers (Irrigation Branch).
• Transferred Field Services: Services operating in transferred departments—such as the Indian Educational Service (IES), Indian Agricultural Service (IAS), Indian Veterinary Service, and Civil Medical Service—were decentralized. Recruitment for these departments was transferred directly to provincial governments.
• Central Services: Services dealing directly with central subjects—such as Posts, Telegraphs, Railways, Customs, and Audit—remained under the direct control of the Central Government.

Fixed Ratios for Indianization

The commission fixed target quotas to accelerate Indian representation in the Indian Civil Service:

• 40% direct recruitment of European officers.
• 40% direct recruitment of Indian candidates.
• 20% promotion of Indian officers from Provincial Civil Services.

This framework aimed to establish a 50:50 parity between Indian and European officers in the ICS within 15 years.

Establishment of the Public Service Commission

Section 96C of the Government of India Act 1919 had previously provided for a Public Service Commission, but the colonial administration delayed its implementation. The Lee Commission called the immediate setup of this body a “cardinal feature” of its recommendations, urging the government to establish an independent recruitment agency without delay.

Financial Concessions to British Officers

To address grievances among European officers and stop early resignations, the commission introduced benefits under the “Lee Passages”:

• Pay increases and enhanced pensions for British officers.
• Four free return passage tickets to Britain during an officer’s career for themselves and their families.
• Favorable exchange rates for remitting money back to Great Britain.

Evolutionary Timeline of Civil Service Commissions

Implementation and Long-Term Impact

Creation of the Central Public Service Commission (1926)

Acting on the Lee Commission’s recommendations, the colonial administration established the Central Public Service Commission on October 1, 1926. Sir Ross Barker, an experienced member of the British Home Civil Service, became its first Chairman.

Progress Toward Parity

The recommended recruitment formula led to a steady rise in Indian officers in the superior services throughout the 1930s. By the onset of the Second World War in 1939, European recruitment had slowed, accelerating the Indianization process. By 1947, Indian officers made up over half of the cadre in the Indian Civil Service, creating a trained administrative core for the newly independent nation.

Key Historical Facts and Trivia

The term “steel frame,” frequently used to describe the Indian Civil Service, was coined by British Prime Minister David Lloyd George during a Speech in the House of Commons in August 1922, shortly before the Lee Commission’s formation. The Lee Commission wrote its final report in Mount Abu, Rajputana, completing the draft in March 1924. Simultaneous examinations for the Indian Civil Service began in London and Allahabad in 1922, two years before the Lee Commission submitted its final report. The Central Public Service Commission formed in 1926 following the Lee Commission recommendations was renamed the Federal Public Service Commission under the Government of India Act 1935. It eventually became the Union Public Service Commission on January 26, 1950.