CJI set up a special bench to hear the plea of CAPF officers after the case was struck from Tuesday’s cause list despite a court order
The SC directed that the case along with related matters be listed again on September 30 at 2 pm. File | Photo credit: The Hindu
Supreme Court Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S Chandurkar asked the apex court registry to explain why a contempt petition related to the implementation of its May 2025 judgment on cadre issues in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) was “struck out” from the list of causes, despite a specific court order directing that it be brought up for hearing in 29:00.
The bench ordered that the case along with related matters be listed again at 2 pm on September 30.
Later in the day, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant constituted a special bench to hear the matter. The Bench will now be headed by Justice Manoj Mishra and Justice Bhuyan.
On September 22, the court could not deal with the case due to lack of time. Specifically, he ordered that the case be listed again on September 29 at 2 pm and allowed the respondents to file amended affidavits in the meantime. The court noted that the matter was listed as item No. 32 in the list of cases dated September 29, but was subsequently told that the case had been struck off the list.
“As it is a writ to list the case at 2:00 PM today, we direct the listing of this case along with other related matters again tomorrow i.e. 30/09/2026 at 2:00 PM with the note of the registry as to why the matter has been struck out of the cause list even though there is a writ,” the court said.
“Reduce IPS representation in CAPF”
The proceedings relate to the implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment dated 23 May 2025, where it had asked the government to “progressively reduce the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to senior posts” in the CAPF.
The court sought an explanation from Union Home Minister Govind Mohan and the officer submitted a detailed affidavit to the court on September 23 explaining the government’s stand.
Hearing a contempt petition filed by retired CAPF officers on September 2, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan verbally observed that there was a “strong lobby” against them and that the cadre officers of the CAPF were completely suppressed.
Group A organized service
On May 2025, a bench of Justice AS Oka and Justice Bhuyan ruled that the deputation posts of IPS officers in the Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) or up to the rank of Inspector General in the CAPF should be “gradually reduced over a period of time, say within an outer limit of two years”. Justice Oka has since retired.
The court also ruled that Group A officers of the CAPF are “organized services” for “all purposes” and asked for a time-bound revision of the cadre and service rules within six months. The Organized Group A Service (OGAS) is a structured cadre-based Group A civil service with defined hierarchy, promotion paths and cadre control, as opposed to isolated or general civil posts. Mr. Mohan informed the Court that since May 2025, 46 IPS officers have been posted in CAPF up to SAG level.
Petition for Contempt
As a way of circumventing the SC judgment of 2025, the government enacted the CAPFs (General Administration) Act, 2026, which was gazetted on April 9. Since then, however, five writ petitions challenging this legislation have been filed and are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on November 18.
According to the All Ex Para-Military Forces Welfare Association, which represents the interests of ex- and serving personnel, the issue affects about 13,000 cadre officers of the CAPF.
The alliance said when the matter was not heard on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) at the scheduled time, the senior advocate appearing in the case mentioned it before the Bench and pointed out its removal from the list of causes. It also argued that concerns about the circumstances surrounding the erasure and the possibility of “undue interference” with the inclusion process were raised before the court. The alliance said the directions in the 2025 judgment were not fully implemented, prompting the contempt proceedings.
Published – 29 Sep 2026 19:46 IST