The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 2, 2026) sought an explanation from Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan on the implementation of its May 2025 judgment directing the Centre to progressively reduce the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to senior posts in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
“Do you think there are no competent officers in CAPFs to hold responsible positions? This is totally wrong. Oka and Justice Bhuyan had ruled that the deputation posts of IPS officers in the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) or up to the rank of Inspector General in CAPFs should be “progressively reduced over a period of time, say within an outer limit of two years. Justice Oka has since retired. An Organised Group A Service (OGAS) is a structured, cadre-based Group A civil service with defined hierarchy, promotion pathways and cadre control, as distinct from isolated or general civil posts. In an affidavit, Mr.
There are officers who have served over 25 years in service, they are defending the borders, they are also fighting for us, supreme sacrifices they have made. On May 23, 2025, a Bench of Justice A.S. Mohan informed the Supreme Court that 46 IPS officers have been brought on deputation to the CAPFs up to the SAG level after the court’s 2025 judgment. The Ministry noted that following the dismissal of its review petition on October 28, 2025, all CAPFs were directed to submit detailed cadre review proposals, which have since been examined by the Ministry and forwarded to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) with the approval of the Home Minister. The Border Security Force (BSF) received the highest number of IPS officers on deputation after the judgment, 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, according to the affidavit.
Justice Ujjal Bhuyan orally observed that there was a “strong lobby” and the cadre officers of CAPFs are “completely stifled” While hearing the contempt petition filed by retired CAPF officers. There is a strong lobby there… cadre officers are completely stifled,” he said. The court also ruled that Group A officers of CAPFs are “Organised Services” for “all purposes” and asked for a time-bound review of cadre and service rules in six months. In the affidavit, the Union Home Ministry said it had taken a series of steps to implement the Supreme Court’s directions, including initiating cadre reviews across all CAPFs, examining the issue of IPS deputation, and undertaking statutory changes.
