“In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court, Home Secretary Govind Mohan said the appointments were made within the existing statutory and regulatory framework and only against requisitions received from the chiefs of the CAPFs,” a source in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The affidavit was filed in compliance with directions from a Bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar of the Supreme Court during the hearing of a contempt petition, challenging the Centre’s move to formalise the deputation of IPS officers to the CAPFs through legislation. The petition has been filed by serving and retired officers of the forces.

Contempt Petition

Hearing the contempt petition, the court had sought an explanation from the government after the Centre informed it that 46 IPS officers had been deputed to the CAPFs since a judgement by the court on May 23, 2025.

The judgement had directed the government to progressively reduce the number of IPS officers serving on deputation in the CAPFs over two years. The Centre subsequently filed a review petition, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court in October 2025. 

The government later enacted the CAPF (General Administration) Act amid opposition and criticism over the move from several quarters.

In his latest affidavit, Mohan maintained that the May 23 judgment did not direct the government to discontinue IPS deputations altogether, the source said.

“There is, however, no direction issued by this Hon’ble Court directing that the deputation of IPS officers to the various CAPFs be discontinued altogether,” the source said, quoting the affidavit.

The source said the court’s direction concerned a “progressive reduction” in the number of posts earmarked for deputation and did not prohibit the appointment of IPS officers to such posts.

According to the source, the Home Secretary said the appointments made after the judgement were in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules and were based on requisitions submitted by the respective CAPFs through their directors general.

Dispute Over IPS Deputation

The Centre’s submissions come amid a continuing dispute over the role and proportion of IPS officers in the leadership structure of the CAPFs, with serving and retired officers challenging the government’s approach to deputation and cadre management before the Supreme Court.

The deputations, the Home Secretary said, were made against vacancies falling within the IPS deputation quota prescribed under the recruitment rules governing the CAPFs – namely, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Border Security Force (BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).

He also told the court that the Centre had extended the benefits of Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFU) to officers in various CAPFs to address stagnation and balance career progression in line with directions contained in the May 2025 judgment.

At the same time, the government reiterated its request for additional time to implement the remaining directions issued by the Supreme Court.

Cadre Restructuring

On cadre restructuring, Mohan said all CAPFs had begun the required review process and submitted their proposals to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The exercise, he said, was being undertaken in accordance with the applicable rules and the Supreme Court’s directions.

According to the affidavit, the forces had also sought inputs from officers and representatives of field formations while preparing their cadre review proposals.

The government said the consultative exercise was intended to ensure that the proposals reflected the operational and functional requirements of each force and incorporated inputs from relevant stakeholders