The Central Vigilance Commission was formed on the basis of the recommendations of which of the following committee ?

Correct — option (1), Santhanam Committee.

The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was set up by a Government of India resolution dated 11 February 1964. That resolution acted on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, chaired by K. Santhanam — the Santhanam Committee.

The CVC began as a body created by executive resolution, not by law. After the Supreme Court's directions in the Hawala case, an Ordinance in 1998 gave it statutory status.

The Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 then came into force on 11 September 2003. Under it the Commission has a Central Vigilance Commissioner and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners.

So the committee behind the CVC's formation is the Santhanam Committee; the later Ordinance and Act changed its legal basis, not its origin.

Remember the pairs: Santhanam Committee → CVC (1964); Swaran Singh Committee → Fundamental Duties (1976).

Why the others are wrong

• (2)
  Kelkar Committee — Vijay Kelkar headed bodies on economic policy, not vigilance. They include the 2002 task forces on direct and indirect tax reform and a 2015 committee on revisiting the public-private partnership model for infrastructure.

  Do not confuse Kelkar with Kaka Kalelkar, who chaired the First Backward Classes Commission appointed in 1953. Neither is linked to the CVC.

• (3)
  Swaran Singh Committee — The Swaran Singh Committee of 1976 is the answer to a different question: it recommended adding Fundamental Duties to the Constitution.

  The 42nd Amendment, 1976 did so by inserting Part IVA and Article 51A. The committee came twelve years after the CVC was set up in 1964, so it could not have led to its formation.

• (4)
  Bakshi Tek Chand Committee — Bakshi Tek Chand chaired a committee set up in 1949 to review the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 and the Special Police Establishment. It looked at the police body that handled corruption cases, which makes it a tempting choice.

  He also chaired the Patents Enquiry Committee (1948–50). Neither body recommended the CVC, which was set up in 1964 on the Santhanam Committee's recommendations.

The Central Vigilance Commission is the Union's apex vigilance institution. It advises on vigilance matters in central government bodies and, under the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003, supervises the Delhi Special Police Establishment (the CBI) in cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

It is a multi-member body: a Central Vigilance Commissioner and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners.

The President appoints them on the recommendation of a committee of the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. Each holds office for four years or until age 65, whichever is earlier.

The CVC is a statutory body, not a constitutional one.

Key facts

• The CVC was set up by Government of India resolution dated 11 February 1964, on the recommendations of the Santhanam Committee.
• An Ordinance in 1998 gave the CVC statutory status; the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 came into force on 11 September 2003.
• The CVC consists of a Central Vigilance Commissioner and not more than two Vigilance Commissioners.
• They are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.
• The Swaran Singh Committee (1976) recommended Fundamental Duties, added as Article 51A by the 42nd Amendment.

Common traps

• Kelkar and Kalelkar sound alike. Vijay Kelkar's committees were on tax and infrastructure policy; Kaka Kalelkar chaired the First Backward Classes Commission.
• Picking an anti-corruption name that led somewhere else. Bakshi Tek Chand's committee inquired into the Special Police Establishment; the CVC came from the Santhanam Committee.
• Mixing up creation and statutory status. The CVC was created by a 1964 resolution; statutory status came with the 1998 Ordinance and the 2003 Act.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021, 2018 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The Central Vigilance Commission became a statutory body under the Central Vigilance Commission Act of which year?

  • (a)1964
  • (b)1998
  • (c)2003
  • (d)2013
  Answer(3) — the Central Vigilance Commission Act, 2003 came into force on 11 September 2003. Option (1), 1964, is the year of the executive resolution that created the CVC. Option (2), 1998, is the year of an Ordinance, not an Act. Option (4), 2013, is the year of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Which of the following is a member of the committee that recommends the appointment of the Central Vigilance Commissioner?

  • (a)Chief Justice of India
  • (b)Union Home Minister
  • (c)Speaker of the Lok Sabha
  • (d)Cabinet Secretary
  Answer(2) — the committee is the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. The Chief Justice of India (1), the Speaker (3) and the Cabinet Secretary (4) are not members.