basic qualities of a minister of state

 

श्रुतवन्तं उपधाशुद्धं मन्त्रिणं कुर्यात्॥२१

चाणक्यसूत्राद्॥

śrutavantaṁ upadhāśuddhaṁ mantriṇaṁ kuryāt||21

cāṇakyasūtrād||

A very strict direction by the great political scientist and Guru Chanakya

A ruler should appoint and retain a person as minister only after verifying the following standards.

First, he should have in the exemplary knowledge and training in Shruti and Shastras. Shruti includes politics, logic. Law of administration, criminal law including the right determination and implementation of punishments, and should have great  capacity to articulate, argue and debate, 

Second, the supreme appointing authority should verify properly and without giving any room for any doubts, his character, loyalty, patriotism and antecedents. The appointing authority should conduct this verification through covert, secret and impartial means.

This is the general rule. The Kautileeya Arthasastram enumerates in detail the particular qualities and qualification standards for an appointee of the State. The terse aphorism quoted above indicates the basic tests alone. The  administration of the State, even three Millenniums ago,  though  monarchic and not democratic as it is supposed to be today  actually was regulated through strict  rules and regulations and  the king, while exercising his powers as a ruler  was bound to follow such dictates.. 

It was not a free for all or subject to the whims of the ruler even during the days of monarchy.