Lee Commission was formed in 1923 under the chairmanship of Lord Lee taking equal number of Indian and British members with the purpose of studying the racial composition of the superior public service of the government of India. ⁣
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The commission examined the recommendations of the islington commission report (1912) and reviewed the existing position of two groups of services the All-India Services and the Central Services. ⁣
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Islington commission commission suggested that 25 per cent of the posts in the superior civil service should be filled from among Indians, partly by direct recruitment and partly by promotion And the examination for the recruitment of civil servants should be held in India.⁣
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This was done in accordance with the spirits of the policy of montagu-chelmsford reforms (1919) that gave special emphasis on the problem of Indianising higher services. ⁣
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The Montagu-Chelmsford reforms proposed that one-third of total appointments to higher posts should go to Indians and thus the Islington Commission that had recommended only 25 percent posts for Indians became a dead letter. ⁣
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In this background the Lee Commission’s main recommendation was that 20 percent of the superior posts should be filled by promotions from provincial civil services and of the remaining 80 percent future entrants, 40 percent should be British and 40 percent Indians directly recruited.⁣
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On the whole, the Indians were not satisfied with the rate of Indianisation of ICS and other superior services. The next important commission that examined the problems on the superior services of India after the Lee Commission was the indian statutory commission of 1930. ⁣
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By 1947 more than 50 percent of about 1000 civil service personnel were Indians, many with long experience and holding high positions. ⁣