Divisional commissioner (India)

The division is constituted to oversee land revenue administration in the districts under its jurisdiction, along with other administrative functions. The Divisional Commissioner supervises land revenue administration and also oversees functions such as elections, disaster management, and inter-departmental coordination.

Office-bearers are generally either of the ranks of secretary to the state government, or principal secretary to state government.

The role of a divisional commissioner's office is to act as the administrative head of all the state government offices situated in the division. A divisional commissioner is given the direct responsibility of administering the land revenue collection, canal revenue collection and law & order maintenance of a division. The divisional commissioner also presides over Local government institutions in the division. Officers are transferred to and from the post by the state government. This post exists in many states of India. Divisional commissioners are responsible for general administration of the division and planned development of the districts under his control and also act as appeal adalat for revenue cases.

History of divisional commissioner

The division as an administrative level came into being in 1829 by the East India Company to facilitate the administration of far flung districts as a result of an increase in the scope of operations corresponding to the expansion of British territories. Each division was put under the charge of a divisional commissioner. The position was also known as Commissioner of Revenue and Circuit Division because he was the presiding officer of circuit court, it had appellate jurisdiction over sessions court. The post was created by then the Bengal government. The institution of divisional commissioner was created by Lord William Bentinck.

The appointment of commissioners in the subsequently acquired provinces of Punjab, Burma, Oudh and the Central Provinces followed in due course. The commissioner had intermediary role between district collector and board of revenue.

The Royal Commission for Decentralisation, 1907 recommended its retention. The issue, however, continued to crop up again and again, particularly at the time of constitutional reforms of 1919, 1935, and 1947. After independence, the state governments merely tinkered with traditional revenue set-up and the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Gujarat abolished the posts of divisional commissioners but later revived them except in Gujarat.