Hard Factual Recall

Administrative Jurisdiction in Law Enforcement

Deconstruct Administrative Jurisdiction in Law Enforcement using previous year trends.

Official Question UPSC 2026

With reference to the organisations under the Government of India, consider the following details:
Sl. No.OrganisationFunctionControlling Union Ministry
1.Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB)To coordinate between various law enforcement agenciesMinistry of Home Affairs
2.Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO)To investigate complex corporate fraudsMinistry of Finance
3.Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)To preserve values in public life and ensure the health of the national economyMinistry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension
In how many of the above rows are the given details correctly matched ?

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A
According to the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, 1961, investigative jurisdictions are strictly siloed. Let us evaluate each row:
•Row 1 is Incorrect: The Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) functions as the nodal agency for gathering economic intelligence. However, because its domain is economic, it operates under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, not the Ministry of Home Affairs.
•Row 2 is Incorrect: The Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) is a multi-disciplinary statutory body focused exclusively on white-collar corporate crime. Consequently, it operates under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, not the Ministry of Finance.
•Row 3 is Correct: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's premier anti-corruption and special crimes agency, was established by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs but was later transferred to the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (specifically, the DoPT).
Conclusion: Since only the third organization (CBI) is correctly matched with its controlling Union Ministry, exactly 1 row is correct.

Quick Recall

In the Government of India, the CBI falls under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. However, economic agencies are split: the CEIB falls under the Ministry of Finance, while the SFIO falls under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Concept Flow Mapping

Serious Fraud Investigation Office
Operates Under
Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Central Economic Intelligence Bureau
Operates Under
Ministry of Finance
Central Bureau of Investigation
Operates Under
Ministry of Personnel

Concept Question

Under which Union Ministry does the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) operate?

Key Takeaway

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Examiner's Trap

The examiner assumes candidates will intuitively link 'Fraud' or 'Economic' directly to the Home Affairs or Finance ministries, bypassing the specialized administrative silos (like Corporate Affairs) that actually govern them.

Core Insight

The SFIO deals specifically with corporate governance failures and violations of the Companies Act, making it functionally aligned with the regulatory purview of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs rather than general taxation or banking.