MHA In A Bind As SC Rejects Review Plea On IPS Deputation To, Cadre Review In CAPFs

In a verdict on May 23, which was made by a Bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka (now retired) and Ujjal Bhuyan, the apex court had directed the MHA to reduce the deputation of IPS officers to the CAPFs and mandate the long-overdue cadre review within six months.

The MHA, in a petition, sought a review of the judgment that directed the Union government to complete the long-pending cadre review in all CAPFs, including the Central Armed Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Forces (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), within six months. The cadre review has been due since 2021.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan rejected the MHA review petition in Chambers, stating that no case for reconsideration was made. The Bench, in its order, said, “We have carefully gone through the contents of the review petition and the papers appended therewith, and are satisfied that no case for review of the judgment dated May 23, 2025, is made.” The Bench also declined the Centre’s request for an open court hearing, noting that “the review petition is, accordingly, dismissed.”

With the review petition dismissed, it is now to be seen how the MHA will comply with the SC directions.

Cadre Review Overdue

The Supreme Court had also directed the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to take appropriate action within three months of receiving the action taken report from the MHA on the cadre review and the revision of service/recruitment rules.

In its ruling, the apex court had held that the number of posts earmarked for IPS deputation in CAPFs, up to the senior administrative grade (SAG), should be progressively reduced within two years. The court had said that this would promote career mobility and address long-standing grievances of stagnation among cadre officers of the CAPFs.

“Keeping in mind the twin objectives of service mobility of the cadre officers of CAPF… and removing stagnation on the one hand and the operational/functional requirement of the forces on the other, we are of the view that the number of posts earmarked for deputation should be progressively reduced over a period of time, say within an outer limit of two years,” the Bench had then said.

Court Flags Career Stagnation, Backs CAPF Cadre

The Court had also acknowledged that CAPF officers serve under “very demanding conditions” and face career stagnation due to the lateral entry of IPS officers into higher ranks, observing that such stagnation could “adversely impact the morale of the forces”.

The Court had then taken note of the fact that the Centre’s policy to have IPS officers in the CAPFs was a matter of governance, but the legitimate concerns of CAPF cadre officers could not be ignored. “Their dedicated service upholding the security, integrity, and sovereignty of the nation while safeguarding our borders and maintaining internal security cannot be ignored or overlooked,” it had noted.

The ruling had also reaffirmed that reducing IPS deputation would facilitate greater participation of CAPF officers in decision-making within their organisations, ensuring institutional parity and boosting the morale across the forces.