Supreme Court seeks explanation from government on IPS deputation in CAPFs

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, directed Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan to provide an explanation regarding the continued deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to senior posts in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). This follows the court's May 2025 ruling that mandated a progressive reduction of such deputations over a two-year period. During the hearing of a contempt petition filed by retired CAPF officers, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan expressed concern over the situation, noting the existence of a “strong lobby” supporting the current arrangement and stating that cadre officers in CAPFs are “completely stifled.” The May 23, 2025, judgment issued by a bench led by Justice A.S. Oka and Justice Bhuyan ordered the gradual reduction of IPS officer deputations to the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) or up to the rank of Inspector General in CAPFs. It also declared Group A officers of CAPFs as “Organised Services” for “all purposes,” requiring a time-bound review of cadre and service rules within six months. The concept of an Organised Group A Service (OGAS) refers to a structured, cadre-based civil service with defined hierarchies, promotion paths, and cadre control, distinguishing it from other types of civil appointments. In response to the court's directive, the Union Home Ministry submitted an affidavit indicating that 46 IPS officers had been assigned to CAPFs up to the SAG level post-judgment. The ministry stated that it had initiated several measures to comply with the Supreme Court's orders, including conducting cadre reviews across all CAPFs, assessing the impact of IPS deputations, and implementing statutory modifications. Following the dismissal of a review petition on October 28, 2025, the ministry instructed all CAPFs to submit detailed cadre review proposals, which were examined and forwarded to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) with the approval of the Home Minister. The affidavit, filed under a July 28 order from a bench comprising Justices Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar, required the Secretaries of the Ministry and DoPT to document the actions taken toward implementing the May 2025 judgment. According to the submission, the Border Security Force (BSF) had the highest number of IPS deputees, with 13 officers, followed by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) with 11, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) with nine, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) with seven, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) with six. The Department of Personnel and Training informed the court that cadre review proposals for the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB were submitted between July 27 and August 3, 2026. These proposals were evaluated according to government guidelines and forwarded to the Department of Expenditure (DoE) alongside DoPT’s observations and suggestions on August 17. The DoPT indicated that once feedback is received from the DoE, the proposals will be presented to the Cadre Review Committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. The committee’s recommendations will then be reviewed for final approval by the appropriate authorities. The next scheduled hearing is set for September 22. In an attempt to bypass the 2025 judgment, the government introduced the CAPFs (General Administration) Act, 2026, which came into effect on April 9. However, five writ petitions contesting this legislation have been filed and are slated for hearing before the Supreme Court on November 18. The Act, passed by Parliament on April 2, aims to address administrative matters related to CAPFs but faces legal challenges from various quarters.