Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) is the constitutional body of the Government of Rajasthan. The commission was established on 22 December 1949 and headquartered in Ajmer.[2] Constituted under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution,[3] it is responsible for conducting recruitment to state civil services and other posts, as well as advising the government on service matters, rules, promotions, and disciplinary cases.[4]
The origins of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) trace back to the recommendations of the Lee Commission in 1923, which advocated for the establishment of a Central Public Service Commission in India. However, the Commission did not emphasize the creation of similar bodies at the provincial level, leaving it to individual provincial governments to manage recruitment and service regulations.[7]
Before the unification of Rajasthan, Public Service Commissions existed only in three princely states—Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Bikaner.[7] Following the political integration of the princely states, the Rajasthan Public Service Commission Ordinance, 1949 was promulgated and published in the Rajasthan Gazette on 20 August 1949.[8] The ordinance came into effect with the official notification of 22 December 1949, marking the formal establishment of the RPSC.[2]
Initially, the Commission comprised one Chairman and two Members. Sarat Kumar Ghosh, then Chief Justice of Rajasthan, served as the first Chairman, while Shri Devi, Shankar Tiwari and Shri N. R. Chandorkar were appointed Members. Later, Shri S. C. Tripathi (I.E.S), a former member of the Union Public Service Commission, also assumed the role of Chairman.[9]
To regulate the functioning of the Commission, the Rajpramukh of Rajasthan issued two key regulations in 1951: the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (Conditions of Service) Regulation, 1951 and the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (Limitation of Functions) Regulation, 1951. Over time, additional frameworks were enacted, including the Rajasthan Public Service Commission Rules and Regulations, 1963 and the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (Regulations and Validation of Procedure) Ordinance, 1975, later replaced by the Act of 1976.[7]
Organisation
The sanctioned number of total members is eleven, including the chairman. However the current number of RPSC members is seven, while four seats are vacant.[10][11]
Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has faced multiple controversies in recent years, primarily centered around allegations of examination paper leaks, cheating scandals, administrative irregularities, and demands for institutional reform.
Paper leak scandals
In December 2022, the commission cancelled the 2nd grade teacher competitive examination for general knowledge after evidence confirmed a paper leak. Reports suggested the involvement of a paper leak mafia, with one instance involving a mastermind allegedly solving papers in a bus for a fee of ₹10 lakh. The RPSC permanently barred 46 candidates involved in the scandal from future examinations.[21][22]
2021 Sub-Inspector exam paper leak
The 2021 Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment examination was embroiled in a paper leak scandal, with arrests of 66 individuals by 2024, including trainee SIs and former RPSC members Babu Lal Katara and Ramu Ram Raika.[23][24][25] Similar irregularities led to the cancellation of the 2022 Revenue Officer (RO) and Executive Officer (EO) examinations after Bluetooth-based cheating was reported in Bikaner.[26][27]
Hanuman Beniwal, leader of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP), emerged as the most vocal critic of the process. In April 2025, he launched a sit-in protest at Shaheed Smarak, Jaipur, demanding the dissolution and restructuring of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) and a CBI probe into the SI and Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) 2018.[28] He accused the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP government of shielding those involved, citing arrests of trainee officers and RPSC members, and alleged the involvement of state minister K.K. Vishnoi.[29]
The RLP protest escalated with an indefinite dharna from 26 April, Beniwal’s brief detention during a march to the chief minister’s residence on 2 May, and the Yuva Aakrosh Maharally in Jaipur on 25 May, which drew supporters from across the state.[30][31] Beniwal also met Governor Haribhau Bagade to press his demands, making the RPSC issue a central theme of his campaign for transparency and accountability.[32][33]
Amid protests, the Rajasthan government argued in court that only 53 of 838 selected candidates were guilty of malpractice and had been removed.[34][35] On 28 August 2025, the Rajasthan High Court cancelled the 2021 S. I. recruitment for 859 posts, but a division bench stayed the order on 8 September, leaving postings suspended.[36][37]
1 2 "Profile". RPSC. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025. अतः स्पष्ट है कि राजस्थान लोक सेवा आयोग दिनांक 22 दिसम्बर, 1949 को अस्तित्व में आया था अर्थात् राजस्थान लोक सेवा आयोग की स्थापना दिनांक 22 दिसम्बर, 1949 को हुयी थी ।
↑ Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Research Section (2020). 70th Annual Report: 2019-2020. rpsc.rajasthan.gov.in (Report). Government of Rajasthan. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
↑ "Article-316. Appointment and term of office of members". upsc.gov.in. Retrieved 19 September 2025. The Chairman and other members of a Public Service Commission shall be appointed, in the case of the Union Commission or a Joint Commission, by the President, and in the case of a State Commission, by the Governor of the State
↑ Meena, R P. "Polity And Administration of Rajasthan". New Era Publication. Retrieved 19 September 2025. Sir S.K.Ghosh (also the then Chief Justice of Rajasthan) was appointed Chairman. Subsequently Shri Devi Shankar Tiwari and Shri N.R.Chandorkar were appointed Members and Shri S.C. Tripathi as Chairman
↑ "Organization". RPSC. 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
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