New Delhi: Listening to the contempt petition filed by in-house cadres of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in opposition to the 2026 laws formalising the deputation of Indian Police Service officers within the CAPF, a division bench of the Supreme Court docket Wednesday questioned the Centre on its incapacity to resolve the tussle between IPS and in-house officers of paramilitary forces.
“Do you assume that there aren’t any competent officers within the central armed police forces to carry managerial positions?” Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan requested Further Solicitor Normal Aishwarya Bhati. “It’s unsuitable. Completely unsuitable. There are officers who’ve served for 25-30 years in CRPF, ITBP and BSF, and but they haven’t been given…why are you treating them like this…they’re additionally defending our borders. They’re additionally preventing for us… Supreme sacrifices they’ve made…”
ASG Bhati defended the federal government’s transfer, saying that the policymaking determination relating to the CAPF was not a “this versus that” difficulty.
Nonetheless, Justice Bhuyan noticed: “You might have created this manner.”
He additional remarked orally, “I’m sorry to make use of this phrase, however there’s a sturdy foyer there, and they’re nearly…we gained’t wish to specific any view there… how this officers cadres…CRPF, ITBP, BSF…they’re utterly stifled.”
The bench of Justice Bhuyan and Atul Sharachchandra Chandurkar was listening to a clutch of contempt petitions filed by CAPF cadre officers in opposition to the Centre over the Central Armed Police Forces (Normal Administration) Act, 2026 that formalised the deputation of IPS officers beginning at senior administrative grades (Inspector Normal rank) within the forces.
The petitioners have sought the apex court docket’s intervention to nullify the provisions of the Act notified in April. They argued within the petition that the Act would nearly reverse a Could 2025 Supreme Court docket judgement, which had set the stage for a cadre overview throughout all CAPFs and for directives to steadily cut back the variety of IPS officers on deputation inside two years. The Centre later filed a overview in opposition to the ruling, which the apex court docket dismissed in October final yr.
This yr, the federal government enacted the CAPF (Normal Administration) Act, regardless of protest and criticism by CAPF cadre officers.
The highest court docket, final month, sought a standing report from the secretaries of the Union Dwelling Ministry and Division of Personnel and Coaching on the steps taken to implement the instructions given within the Could 2025 judgement. Union Dwelling Secretary Govind Mohan then filed an affidavit saying that Centre is “leaving no stone unturned” to finish the cadre overview train, as directed by the highest court docket.
“That, it’s finally submitted that the Cadre Overview of proposals of all CAPFS have been examined in MHA, concurred by IFD (Built-in Finance Division) and forwarded to DoPT with the approval of Hon’ble Dwelling Minister for additional consideration,” Mohan had stated, informing the court docket {that a} whole of 46 IPS officers have been deputed to CAPFs for the reason that Could 2025 directives as much as IG rank within the forces.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Additionally Learn: ‘Complexities, consequences’—Why MHA sought more time for cadre review, reducing IPS deputation to CAPFs
