January 22, 2026

Civil List Guide Search IAS IPS Officers, Check Postings & Track Tenure

Civil List Guide: Search IAS/IPS Officers, Check Postings & Track Tenure description: "The ultimate 24x7 guide to the Civil List of India. Learn how to search the official directory of IAS and IPS officers, find the contact details of your District Magistrate, understand 'Cadre' and 'Deputation', and verify an officer's service record." date: 2026-01-13 author: Resources Desk | Sansad Online tags: [Civil List, IAS Directory, IPS Directory, DOPT, District Magistrate, Bureaucracy, UPSC, Executive Record]

📋 24x7 Resource: The Civil List (IAS/IPS Directory)

The Bureaucracy Hub

Access the service records of India's 'Steel Frame'.

  • IAS Civil List: supremo.nic.in (Department of Personnel & Training).
  • IPS Civil List: mha.gov.in/ips (Ministry of Home Affairs).
  • IFS Civil List: mea.gov.in (Ministry of External Affairs).
  • Key Use Case: Finding the background of your District Magistrate (DM) or SP.
🏛️ INSIDER TERM: "Empanelment". You will often see this term. It means an officer has been deemed fit to hold a Joint Secretary or Secretary level post in the Central Government. Not all IAS officers get empanelled; it is a rigorous screening process.

Introduction: Knowing the "Permanent Executive"

(Why Politicians Come and Go, but Officers Remain)

In India, the Minister (Political Executive) decides the policy, but the IAS Officer (Permanent Executive) implements it.

  • The Minister cuts the ribbon for the bridge, but the Secretary (PWD) signs the contract.
  • The Home Minister orders peace, but the SP deploys the force.

The Civil List is the annual directory of these powerful officers. Updated every year (usually on January 1), it is the "Who's Who" of the Indian State.

Why should a citizen check this?

  1. Accountability: If a new DM takes charge of your district, check their past postings. Did they serve in a controversial department before?
  2. Verification: Is the person claiming to be a "Senior IAS" actually a promotee officer or a direct recruit?
  3. Stability: Has your district seen 4 DMs in 1 year? The Civil List helps you track "Frequent Transfers," which is often a sign of political interference.

This "24x7 Resource Page" guides you through the supremo.nic.in portal (the Facebook of IAS officers) and helps you decode the jargon of the Indian bureaucracy.

🔍 How to Search the IAS Civil List

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) maintains the most advanced database.

Step 1: The "Executive Record (ER) Sheet"

This is the single most important document for any officer.

  • Go to: supremo.nic.in -> "Civil List".
  • Search: You can search by Name (e.g., "Tina Dabi") or Batch Year (e.g., "2016").
  • The Result: It opens the ER Sheet.

Step 2: Reading the ER Sheet

The sheet contains:

  • Domicile: Which state they originally belong to.
  • Cadre: Which state they are allocated to work in (e.g., Rajasthan).
  • Educational Qualification: (e.g., B.Tech, MA History).
  • Posting History: A chronological table of every job they have held since joining LBSNAA (Training Academy).
    • Look for: Gaps in posting (called "Compulsory Wait") or frequent transfers (less than 1 year in each post).

👮 How to Search the IPS Civil List

The police service database is managed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

  • Go to: mha.gov.in -> Divisions -> Police Division -> IPS Civil List.
  • Format: Unlike the dynamic IAS search, the IPS list is often a downloadable PDF Book.
  • Search Strategy: Use Ctrl+F to find your district SP's name.
  • Details: It lists their Date of Birth, Date of Appointment, and current rank (e.g., DIG, IG, ADG).

🇮🇳 The Cadre System: Decoding the State Code

When an officer clears UPSC, they are allocated a Cadre (State).

  • Rule: An officer usually spends their entire career in that state, except when they go on "Central Deputation" to Delhi.
  • The "Insider-Outsider" Ratio: To ensure national integration, the government tries to ensure that 2/3rds of officers in a state are "Outsiders" (from other states).
  • Changing Cadre: Very difficult. Usually allowed only for marriage (if husband and wife are IAS officers of different cadres) or extreme health/threat reasons.

🏛️ Central Deputation: The "Delhi" Posting

You often hear "The Officer has gone to the Centre."

  • What it means: The officer leaves their State (e.g., Bihar) and moves to New Delhi to work in a Central Ministry (e.g., Ministry of Finance).
  • The "3+2" Rule: A central deputation is usually for 5 years. After that, they must return to their state (Cooling Off Period) before they can come back to Delhi.
  • Why it matters: The best officers are usually picked for Central Deputation. If your state bureaucracy is empty, it might be because all the good officers are in Delhi.

📊 IAS vs. State Civil Service (SCS)

Not all "IAS" officers cleared the UPSC exam.

  • Direct Recruit (RR): Cleared UPSC. They start young (20s) and reach the top ranks (Chief Secretary).
  • Promotee (SCS): Officers from the State Civil Service (e.g., UPPCS) who are promoted to IAS after ~15-20 years of service.
  • How to tell: The Civil List clearly marks them as "RR" (Regular Recruit) or "SCS" (Select List). Promotee officers usually retire before reaching the highest ranks due to age.

Your bureaucratic directory:

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Can I find the DM's mobile number here?

No. The Civil List gives the office number and official email (e.g., dm-agra@nic.in). It generally does not list private mobile numbers for security reasons. However, almost every District website (agra.nic.in) lists the CUG (Closed User Group) official mobile number of the DM/SP.

Q2. What is "AGMUT" Cadre?

It stands for Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories.

  • Officers in this cadre can be transferred between Delhi, Chandigarh, Andaman & Nicobar, and these states. It is controlled directly by the Home Ministry.

Q3. Why are some officers listed as "On Study Leave"?

Officers are encouraged to take study leave (up to 2 years) to pursue Masters/PhD at universities like Harvard or LSE. The government often funds this to improve their policy-making skills.

Q4. What is the "Offer List"?

It is a list of officers who have "Offered" themselves for Central Deputation. If an officer wants to leave their state (perhaps due to political friction with the CM), they put their name on the Offer List. Ministries in Delhi then pick from this list.

Q5. Can an IAS officer be dismissed?

It is extremely difficult. Under Article 311 of the Constitution, they have immense protection. They can only be dismissed by the President of India after a detailed inquiry. This "Security of Tenure" was designed to allow them to say "No" to corrupt politicians without fear of losing their job.

Bookmark this page. The politicians promise change, but these are the people who have to sign the file.