Property returns of civil servants: conduct rules and the Lokpal Act
Why in news: A review of 102 Secretary-level officials' property returns, published on 2 November 2026, found many entries without area or current value.
All India Services officers list their assets on joining. They then file an immovable property return every year under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 adds a separate declaration for public servants. A review published on 2 November 2026 found 115 of 244 properties declared by top officials carried no current value.
Syllabus: Prelims · Polity & Governance; GS4 · Probity in Governance; GS2 · Governance & e-Governance
Why this matters for UPSC
GS4 probity and GS2 civil services: how officers declare assets under conduct rules and the Lokpal Act. Prelims can ask what returns cover; Mains, disclosure and accountability.
In short
Asset declarations make civil servants record what they own, so that wealth can be checked against pay. Conduct rules for each service and the Lokpal Act, 2013 provide them.
Declarations work only when complete and checked; notifying the Lokpal Act rules and refusing blank returns would turn a formality into real accountability.
Why it matters
A citizen who wonders whether a senior official bought land from a contractor has one place to look: the property return. When the value or size of a flat is left blank, nobody outside government can tell whether an officer's wealth fits a salary. That weakens the deterrent the return was meant to create, because an officer who expects scrutiny is less likely to take favours. Inside government, an officer who misses the filing deadline is denied vigilance clearance, so a late return can stall a career. The larger issue is trust: people obey decisions more readily when they can see that those who take them have nothing to hide.
Prelims pointers
- Under the conduct rules, 'Government' means the Central Government for an officer serving the Union and the State Government for one serving a State.
- In the conduct rules, 'member of family' covers a spouse not separated by court decree, dependent children and wholly dependent relatives by blood or marriage.
- Movable items worth under two months' basic pay may be shown as one lump sum; clothes, utensils, crockery and books need not be listed.
- The rules' value list includes integrity, political neutrality, accountability and transparency, and declaring private interests linked to public duties.
- The conduct rules bind All India Services members and are enforced by their governments; the Lokpal Act's declaration duty reaches every public servant.
- A transaction worth more than two months' basic pay must be reported to the Government within a month of its completion.
Practise a UPSC-style question
Consider the following statements about the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968:
1. They are framed by the Central Government under the All India Services Act, 1951, after consultation with the State Governments.
2. They require a member to declare private interests relating to public duties and resolve conflicts so as to protect the public interest.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2. Both the source of the rules and their conflict-of-interest duty are stated in the rules.
Statement 1: correct. The rules' preamble says the Central Government made them under the All India Services Act, 1951 after consulting the States concerned.
Statement 2: correct. The general conduct rule lists declaring private interests linked to public duties and resolving conflicts in a way that protects the public interest.
Eliminate: statement 1 is the surest, since the rules name their parent Act. Out: (b), (d).
Eliminate: statement 2 is also a listed value. Out: (a).
Trap: Swapped attribution. A student may think the UPSC or each State frames these rules; the Centre frames them after consulting the States.
Remember: AIS conduct rules come from the Centre under the All India Services Act, 1951.
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