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Q25 (IAS/2016) Polity & Governance › Governance, Policies & Social Justice › Administrative machinery structure Official Key

Consider the following statements : 1. The Chief Secretary in a State is appointed by the Governor of that State. 2. The Chief Secretary in a State has a fixed tenure. Which of the statements given above . is/are correct?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The correct answer is option D - Neither statement 1 nor 2 is correct.

Regarding Statement 1: The Chief Secretary of a state is chosen and appointed by the state's Chief Minister[1], not by the Governor. Therefore, statement 1 is incorrect.

Regarding Statement 2: No fixed tenure is imposed on the office but term can be extended[2]. This clearly indicates that the Chief Secretary does not have a fixed tenure. Therefore, statement 2 is also incorrect.

Since both statements are incorrect, option D (Neither 1 nor 2) is the correct answer. The Chief Secretary, being the administrative head of the state bureaucracy, serves at the pleasure of the state government and is typically appointed by the Chief Minister, with the tenure varying based on administrative decisions and extensions.

Sources
  1. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_secretary_(India)
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following statements : 1. The Chief Secretary in a State is appointed by the Governor of that State. 2. The Chief Secretar…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 5/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This question exposes the gap between 'Constitutional Text' (Laxmikanth) and 'Administrative Reality' (Governance). It traps students who equate 'Executive Action in Governor's name' with 'Appointed by Governor'. The key is distinguishing Constitutional posts from Civil Service postings.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is the Chief Secretary in a State (India) appointed by the Governor of that State?
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 15: Regional Development and Planning > 2. The Second-Level or State Level Planning > p. 55
Strength: 4/5
“The second level is constituted by the States. The Executive head of a state is the Governor, who is appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Prime Minister of India. As in the case of the Centre, the Governor does not directly exercise the powers that are vested in him. They are exercised through the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister. The advice of the Council of Ministers is binding on the Governor. The Council of Ministers works through the secretariat that is headed by a secretary. The main functions of the secretariat relate to assisting the ministers in policy making and in discharging their legislative responsibilities, co-ordination of policies and programmes, supervision and control of expenditure, efficient running of administration, etc.”
Why relevant

States have a secretariat 'headed by a secretary' that assists ministers and runs administration — this identifies the existence and importance of a senior secretarial post at state level.

How to extend

A student could combine this with knowledge that senior administrative posts (like Chief Secretary) are typically part of the state secretariat to ask who formally appoints such senior civil servants.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 32: State Council of Ministers > APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS > p. 331
Strength: 5/5
“~APPOINTMENT OF MINISTERS The chief minister is appointed by the governor. The other ministers are appointed by the governor on the advice of the chief minister. This means that the governor can appoint only those persons as ministers who are recommended by the chief minister. But, there should be a tribal welfare minister in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Originally, this provision was applicable to Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The 94th Amendment Act of 2006 freed Bihar from the obligation of having a tribal welfare minister as there are no Scheduled Areas in Bihar now and the fraction of population of the Scheduled Tribes is very small.”
Why relevant

The governor appoints the Chief Minister and appoints other ministers on the advice of the Chief Minister — showing the governor has formal appointment powers for key state executive offices, often exercised on ministerial advice.

How to extend

One could extend this pattern to test whether similar formal appointment power applies to senior administrative posts (e.g., Chief Secretary) and whether such appointments follow executive advice (from CM/State government) rather than personal governor discretion.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 32: State Council of Ministers > Article 164 Other Provisions as to Ministers > p. 329
Strength: 5/5
“Article l64-Other Provisions as to Ministers • 1. The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. However, in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, there shall be a Minister in charge of tribal welfare who may in addition be in charge of the welfare of the scheduled castes and backward classes or any other work. The state of Bihar was excluded from this provision by the 94th Amendment Act of 2006.• 2”
Why relevant

Article 164 is cited: 'The Chief Minister shall be appointed by the Governor and the other Ministers shall be appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister' — illustrating a constitutional rule about who appoints political executive heads at state level.

How to extend

A student could compare this explicit constitutional rule for ministers with the constitutional/ statutory position of civil posts like Chief Secretary to see if analogous appointment rules exist or if civil service rules differ.

Introduction to the Constitution of India, D. D. Basu (26th ed.). > Chapter 13: The State Executive > 2. The Governor > p. 269
Strength: 3/5
“The Governor of a State is not elected but is appointed by the President. and holds his office at the pleasure of the President. Any citizen of India who has completed 35 years . of age is eligible for the office, but he must not hold any There is no bar to the selection of a Governor from amongst members of a Legislature, but if a Member of a Legislature is appointed Governor, he ceases to be a Member immediately upon such appointment. [Article 158]. There is no bar to the selection of a Governor from amongst members of a Legislature, but if a Member of a Legislature is appointed Governor, he ceases to be a Member immediately upon such appointment.”
Why relevant

The Governor is an appointed rather than elected official (appointed by the President), and holds office at the President's pleasure — showing the governor's position is part of a hierarchical appointment structure.

How to extend

One could use this to reason that many formal appointments at state level may be processed through the constitutional head (Governor) but often reflect the executive will of the elected government; check service rules for civil servants to see which route applies to Chief Secretary.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 34: High Court > COMPOSITION AND APPOINTMENT > p. 354
Strength: 3/5
“Appointment of Judges The judges of a high court are appointed by the President. The chief justice is appointed by the President after consultation with the chief justice of India and the governor of the state concerned. For appointment of other judges, the chief justice of the concerned high court is also consulted. In case ofa common high court for two or more states, the governors of all the states concerned are consulted by the President. In the Seco lld Judges caseJ ( 1993), the Supreme Court ruled that no appointment of a judge of the high court can be made, unless it is in conformity with the opinion of the chief justice of India.”
Why relevant

For High Court judges the President appoints after consultation with the Governor/Chief Justice — this gives an example of different offices using different appointing authorities and consultations.

How to extend

Use this pattern to note that appointment authority varies by office (judicial vs political vs administrative); a student could therefore look for whether Chief Secretary falls under civil service appointment rules (state government/Union/PM/President) rather than the Governor directly.

Statement analysis

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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

NDA-II · 2008 · Q98 Relevance score: 3.59

Consider the following statements : 1. No person is eligible for appointment as Governor unless he has completed the age of thirty years. 2. The same person can be appointed as Governor for three States. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Consider the following statements : 1. The Advocate General of a State in India is appointed by the President ot India upon the recommendation of the Governor of the concerned State. 2. As provided in Civil Procedure Code, High Courts have original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction at the State level. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

CDS-II · 2014 · Q55 Relevance score: 3.00

Consider the following statements about State Election Commission: 1. The State Election Commissioner shall be appointed by the Governor of the State. 2. The State Election Commission shall have the power of even preparing the electoral rolls besides the power of superintendence, direction and control of election to the panchayats. 3. The State Election Commissioner cannot be removed in any manner from his office until he demits himself or completes his tenure. Which of the above statements is/are correct ?

IAS · 2018 · Q41 Relevance score: 2.80

Consider the following statements : 1. No criminal proceedings shall be instituted against the Governor of a State in any court during his term of office. 2. The emoluments and allowances of the Governor of a State shall not be diminished during his term of office. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

CDS-II · 2019 · Q22 Relevance score: 2.68

Consider the following state- ments: 1. The Advocate General of a State in India is appointed by the President of India upon the recommendations of the Governor of the con- cerned State. 2. As provided in the Code of Civil Procedure, High Courts have original appel- late advisory jurisdiction at the State level. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?