RAS question
UPSC members hold office for:
Correct answer: (D) 6 years or age 65, whichever is earlier.
UPSC members hold office for six years from the date they enter office or until they attain the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Explanation
Article 316 of the Constitution fixes the tenure of members of a Public Service Commission. For the Union Commission, which is the UPSC, a member holds office for six years from the date of entering office, or until attaining 65 years of age, whichever comes earlier. This is why option D is the only complete answer: it states both the fixed term and the age ceiling, and applies the “whichever is earlier” condition. The same clause also distinguishes State Public Service Commissions and Joint Commissions, where the age limit is 62 years. So the UPSC rule cannot be reduced to only age, only years, or the President’s pleasure.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Constitution gives UPSC members a defined tenure under Article 316, so their office is not held merely at the President’s pleasure.
- (B) Age 60 is not the UPSC age ceiling stated in Article 316; the Union Commission limit is 65 years.
- (C) Article 316 prescribes a six-year term for a Public Service Commission member, not a five-year term.
Concept
This tests Article 316’s tenure rule for Public Service Commissions, especially the difference between UPSC and State Public Service Commission age limits. It recurs in RAS preparation because constitutional bodies are often tested through exact appointment, tenure and removal provisions.