AIS Conduct Rules 1968

The All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 are subordinate legislation framed by the Central Government under Section 3 of the All India Services Act, 1951, which empowers the Centre, in consultation with the State Governments, to regulate the conditions of service of the three All India Services — the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service, and the Indian Forest Service (constituted 1966). They replaced earlier conduct provisions and operate alongside the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, which supply the procedural machinery for punishing breaches of the conduct norms. Because Article 312 of the Constitution authorises Parliament to create All India Services common to the Union and the States, these Rules bind officers serving under both governments, distinguishing them from the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 that cover the central services.

The cardinal command is Rule 3, which requires every member at all times to maintain absolute integrity, devotion to duty, and to do nothing unbecoming of a member of the Service; amendments inserted Rule 3(2)(i)-(iii) casting a positive duty to maintain political neutrality, act with courtesy, and not adopt dilatory tactics. The Rules then itemise specific prohibitions: Rule 4 bars employing members of family for private gain; Rule 5 forbids participation in politics and elections; Rule 6 restricts joining associations with objects prejudicial to sovereignty; Rule 7 limits public demonstrations and criticism of government; Rule 8 controls communication of official information (read with the Official Secrets Act, 1923); Rule 9 governs giving evidence before committees; Rule 11 prohibits accepting gifts beyond prescribed monetary limits; Rule 13 regulates speculation in stocks and investment; Rule 16 prohibits acquisition and disposal of property without reporting and mandates annual filing of immovable property returns; Rule 18 deals with private trade and employment; and inserted Rule 3-A prohibits sexual harassment of working women, reflecting the Vishaka guidelines (Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan, 1997).

Breach of any conduct rule constitutes misconduct attracting penalties under the 1969 Discipline and Appeal Rules, ranging from censure to dismissal, and may invite proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Rules have been periodically amended — notably to strengthen anti-corruption duties, to incorporate the dowry prohibition (no member shall give, take, or abet the giving or taking of dowry under Rule 11-A), and to require declaration of assets in line with Lokpal-era transparency norms. In 2026 they remain the operative ethical code for the All India Services, supplemented by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission's (2007) recommendation for a comprehensive Civil Services Code and Public Service Values.

For the UPSC, the Rules are tested principally in General Studies Paper IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude), where examiners probe the codified versus non-codified distinction in ethical governance, the meaning of "absolute integrity" and "devotion to duty", and case-study scenarios on gifts, conflict of interest, political neutrality, and whistle-blowing. They also surface in the GS-II polity segment on Article 312 and All India Services, and candidates are expected to cite specific rule numbers and contrast these Rules with the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964.