The Kerala Public Service Commission, from Travancore's first Public Service Commissioner to a body of eighteen members

Background

Travancore had a Public Service Commissioner whose duty was to select candidates for direct recruitment to posts under the Government. G.D. Nokes was appointed as the first Public Service Commissioner on 14th June, 1936. In Cochin a Staff Selection Board was constituted in 1936 for initial recruitment to lower posts, and in 1947 a three member Cochin Public Service Commission was constituted under an Act of the State Legislature. The Travancore-Cochin State was formed on 1st July, 1949, and a Public Service Commission for it was constituted by an Ordinance with three members including the Chairman. Its functions were generally the same as those laid down in the Government of India Act, 1935. With the formation of the State of Kerala on 1st November 1956, the Travancore-Cochin Public Service Commission was transformed into the Kerala Public Service Commission. The number of members was raised to five in 1959 and in stages to the present strength of eighteen in 2005. The Commission's office is at Thulasi Hills, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram.