Simone Lawson
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule, from 1858 to 1947. The ICS was divided into two categories: covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service was made up of British civil servants in higher government positions, while the uncovenanted civil service was established to facilitate the entry of Indians into lower-level administration. Until the 20th century, the ICS was overwhelmingly British, with top members known as Civilians and recruited from the best British schools.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of members | Never more than 1200 |
| Members' nationalities | Initially all British, later majority British |
| Members' ethnicity | All white Europeans |
| Members' education | Educated in the best British schools |
| Members' earnings | Assistant Commissioners: £300 a year; Governors: £6,000 a year; Retirement pension: £1,000 a year; Widows' pension: £300 a year |
| Members' appointments | Appointed under Section XXXII(32) of the Government of India Act 1858 |
| Members' functions | Rule over 300 million people in the presidencies and provinces of British India; oversee all government activity in the 250 districts that comprised British India |
| Members' alternative name | "Civilians" |
| Members' alternative name | "Babus" |
| Members' alternative name | "Steel frame" |
| Members' alternative name | "The rule of babus" |
| Administrative system | All-India Services |
| Administrative divisions | Covenanted (higher positions) and uncovenanted (lower positions) |
| Administrative head | Secretary of State for India |
| Administrative structure | Reformed, modernised, and rationalised by Charles Cornwallis |
| Administrative founder | Warren Hastings |
| Administrative oversight | Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, located in New Delhi |
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What You'll Learn
- The Indian Civil Service was established by the British
- The ICS was divided into covenanted and uncovenanted services
- The covenanted civil service was exclusively European
- The uncovenanted civil service was for Indians at lower levels of government
- The ICS was divided between India and Pakistan after the partition
The Indian Civil Service was established by the British
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was established by the British during their rule in India from 1858 to 1947. It was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India, with its members ruling over more than 300 million people across the presidencies and provinces of British India. The ICS was responsible for overseeing all government activity in the 250 districts that made up British India.
The ICS was headed by the Secretary of State for India, a member of the British cabinet. Initially, almost all the top members of the ICS were British and educated in elite British schools. The civil service was divided into two categories: covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service was composed of British civil servants holding higher government positions. The uncovenanted civil service, on the other hand, was established to facilitate the inclusion of Indians at the lower levels of administration.
The foundation of the Indian Civil Service was laid by Warren Hastings, and it was later reformed, modernised, and rationalised by Charles Cornwallis, earning him the title of 'the Father of civil service in India'. Cornwallis introduced the two divisions of covenanted and uncovenanted civil service. The covenanted division was exclusively European, while the uncovenanted division allowed Indians to enter the lower rungs of administration. This policy of racial discrimination was later abolished in 1831 by Governor-General William Bentinck.
The Indian Civil Service played a crucial role in enforcing and maintaining British rule in India. The British believed that only their own personnel could establish an administration based on British ideas, institutions, and practices. The ICS, along with the railway system, legal system, and the Indian Army, are considered some of the most significant legacies of British rule in India.
After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the nomination system for appointing covenanted civil servants was abolished, and it was decided that appointments would be made through competitive examinations open to all British subjects, regardless of race. The Charter Act of 1853 further reinforced this change by mandating that recruitment to the civil service be based on open competition.
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The ICS was divided into covenanted and uncovenanted services
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), also known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule from 1858 to 1947. The ICS was divided into covenanted and uncovenanted services.
The covenanted civil service consisted of British civil servants occupying the higher posts in the government. Initially, almost all the top members of the ICS were British and had been educated in elite British schools. The covenanted service was introduced by Charles Cornwallis, who reformed, modernised, and rationalised the Indian Civil Service. Thus, he is known as the 'Father of civil service in India'.
The uncovenanted civil service was established to facilitate the entry of Indians at the lower rung of the administration. The British believed that Indians could not be trusted to uphold British rule in India and lacked faith in their competence and morality. However, by the early 20th century, Indians were increasingly entering the ICS through competitive examinations held in India and London, and by 1920, one-fourth of the posts in the ICS were to be filled from the bar.
The ICS played a crucial role in establishing and maintaining British rule in India, and it is considered one of the most important legacies of British rule, along with the railway system, the legal system, and the Indian Army. ICS officers served as political officers in the Indian Political Department and were given fifty per cent of the judgeships in the state high court. They were responsible for overseeing all government activity in the districts that comprised British India, and their tenure was between 25 and 35 years.
During the partition of India and the departure of the British in 1947, the ICS was divided between the new Dominions of India and Pakistan.
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The covenanted civil service was exclusively European
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during the period of British rule from 1858 to 1947. It was also known as the Imperial Civil Service. The ICS was responsible for overseeing all government activity in the districts that comprised British India, which amounted to more than 300 million people.
The ICS was established under Section XXXII(32) of the Government of India Act 1858, enacted by the British Parliament. Initially, almost all the top thousand members of the ICS were British and educated in elite British schools.
The ICS was divided into two categories: covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service was exclusively European (British), occupying the higher posts in the government. The uncovenanted civil service was introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians at the lower levels of administration.
The covenanted civil service was introduced by Charles Cornwallis, who reformed, modernised, and rationalised the Indian Civil Service. He is known as the 'Father of the civil service in India'. Before Cornwallis, the administration of India was in Indian hands, but the East India Company soon wanted to implement British ideas, institutions, and practices, and so took some aspects of administration into its own hands. Cornwallis's covenanted civil service was therefore exclusively European, with the British convinced that only their own personnel could establish an administration based on British principles.
The Charter Act of 1833 stated that no Indian could be barred from holding any office under the company, and the Charter Act of 1853 ended the nomination system, introducing competitive examinations for all British subjects, without distinction of race. However, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 led to the introduction of pay scales that maintained a racial hierarchy, with ICS officers at the top of the pyramid receiving £6,000 a year, compared to Assistant Commissioners, who started out on around £300 a year.
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The uncovenanted civil service was for Indians at lower levels of government
The Indian Civil Service (ICS), also known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the highest civil service of the British Empire in India during the period of British rule from 1858 to 1947. The ICS was responsible for overseeing all government activity in the 250 districts that comprised British India, and its members ruled over more than 300 million people.
Initially, almost all the top thousand members of the ICS were British and had been educated in elite British schools. However, the exclusion of Indians from the ICS was a point of contention and led to demands for the Indianisation of services.
To address these demands, the ICS was divided into two categories: covenanted and uncovenanted. The covenanted civil service consisted of British civil servants occupying the higher posts in the government. The uncovenanted civil service, on the other hand, was introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians into lower-level government positions.
The uncovenanted civil service was established to make it easier for Indians to join the administration at a lower level. This division of the civil service allowed Indians to enter minor administrative roles, but it also perpetuated British authority by curtailing Indian influence in decision-making.
The Indian Civil Service Act of 1861 formalised this division and reserved certain senior positions for British officers while setting conditions for Indians in lower-level administrative roles. However, the Act was difficult to implement due to its recruitment requirements, and it failed to satisfy the growing demand for the Indianisation of services.
Despite these challenges, Satyendra Nath Tagore became the first Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service. He was put in charge of the Bombay ICS and served his entire career from 1864 to 1897.
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The ICS was divided between India and Pakistan after the partition
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule between 1858 and 1947. Its members were responsible for overseeing all government activity in the districts that comprised British India, and they answered to the Secretary of State for India, who was a member of the British cabinet.
The ICS was initially almost entirely composed of British members, known as "Civilians", who were educated in elite British schools. However, by 1947, the ICS had become more diverse, with 468 Europeans, 352 Hindus, 101 Muslims, members of depressed classes/scheduled castes, domiciled Europeans and Anglo-Indians, Indian Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, and members of other communities. Despite offers from the new Indian and Pakistani governments, most European former ICS officers left after the partition, with many continuing their careers in the British Home Civil Service or another British colonial civil service.
The contemporary Civil Services of India, the Central Superior Services of Pakistan, the Bangladesh Civil Service, and the Myanmar Civil Service are all descended from the old Indian Civil Service. Historians rate the ICS as one of the most important legacies of British rule in India, along with the railway system, the legal system, and the Indian Army.
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Frequently asked questions
The Indian Civil Service (ICS) was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule from 1858 to 1947. The ICS was overwhelmingly British in composition, with only Europeans occupying the higher posts in the government.
The ICS was set up to run a revenue-oriented routine administration under the colonial decree. The foundation of civil service was laid by Warren Hastings and it was reformed, modernised, and rationalised by Charles Cornwallis.
The civil services were divided into covenanted and uncovenanted categories. The covenanted civil service consisted of British civil servants in higher government positions. The uncovenanted civil service was introduced to facilitate the entry of Indians at the lower rung of the administration.
Indians wanted Indianisation of the Civil Services and for competitive examinations to be held in India. The Early Nationalists, also known as the Moderates, worked for the implementation of various social reforms and a resolution of the House of Commons in 1893 allowed for simultaneous examination for the Indian Civil Service in London and India.
Historians often rate the ICS as one of the most important legacies of British rule in India, alongside the railway system, the legal system, and the Indian Army. The contemporary Civil Services of India, the Central Superior Services of Pakistan, Bangladesh Civil Service, and Myanmar Civil Service are all descended from the old Indian Civil Service.
