The Union Government has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court's May 23 ruling directing a “progressive reduction” in the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS)officers to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs)
A Bench of Justices A.S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan had ruled that IPS deputation posts in the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) — up to the rank of Inspector General — be reduced “progressively over a period of time, say within an outer limit of two years.” Justice Oka has since demitted office.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) submitted the review petition on July 11, more than six weeks after the judgement, a government source confirmed. Despite the order, the MHA has continued to appoint IPS officers to senior positions, with at least eight appointments from Commandant to Inspector General ranks having been made since May 23.
The top court had held that Group A officers of the CAPFs constitute “Organised Services” for “all purposes”, effectively recognising their demand for a structured promotional pathway within their own cadre.
A senior CAPF official said the review petition could have wide-ranging implications. “The petition will impact the formulation of service rules and cadre review of all CAPFs. The judgement was arrived at after several years of hearing,” the official said.
At present, 20% of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) posts and 50% of Inspector General (IG) posts in CAPFs are reserved for IPS officers. If implemented, the May 23 judgment would significantly curtail IPS dominance in the CAPFs.
The CAPFs include the Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Sashastra Seema Bal, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The MHA is the cadre-controlling authority for both IPS and CAPF officers.
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