Image for representational purposes only. | Photo credit: Getty Images
Opposition members on Monday (March 16, 2026) questioned the government’s intention to introduce a bill in the ongoing session of Parliament to codify the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), despite the Supreme Court’s decision to phase down the deputation of IPS to the rank of Inspector General in the organized group of CAPF and grant them status.
In this context, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday met Ajay Malik, Assistant Commander of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), who lost his leg in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast during an anti-Maoist operation in Jharkhand on March 1. Mr. Malik, who was airlifted to AIIMS, Delhi, has to undergo amputee camp at Delhi Amputee Hospital at present. He joined the CRPF in 2011 as an AC and has remained in the same position for 15 years.
CAPF officers claimed that despite conducting operations from the front and several of them being killed in the line of action, they face career stagnation and mostly the first promotion comes only after 15-18 years of service.
Currently, 20% posts in the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and 50% posts in the rank of Inspector General (IG) in the CAPF are reserved for IPS officers through an executive order. The total strength of the CAPF is around 10 lakh, which includes 13,000 Group A cadre officers. Parliament was recently informed that there are around 93,000 vacancies in all posts in the CAPF.
On 23 May 2025, the Supreme Court held that Group A Executive Cadre officers of the CAPF are for all purposes Organized Group A Services (OGAS). Apart from phasing out the representation of IPS in the CAPF down to the IG level in the next two years, the court asked for a time-bound revision of the cadre and service rules in six months. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) challenged the judgment, but on 28 October 2025 the Supreme Court dismissed the review application, making the judgment final. MHA is the cadre controlling authority of both CAPF and IPS.
Petition for Contempt
After several former CAPF officials filed a contempt petition in court against the Union home minister for not implementing the apex court’s order, the MHA informed the court on March 9 that it was considering “appropriate statutory and regulatory action”. On 10 March, the Union Cabinet approved the Central Armed Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement the SC order, saying the potential “statutory crackdown” aimed at circumventing court pronouncements is deeply disturbing. “Such a move would not only undermine the rule of law and constitutional propriety but also demoralize the cadre who serve as the pillar of our national security,” Mr. Kharge said.
He said CAPF officers form the backbone of border management, internal security and protection of vital facilities and operate in the most difficult conditions to ensure the safety of our citizens. “It is therefore very disturbing that these dedicated officers have been forced to seek judicial intervention to ensure basic fairness in their conditions of service,” he said.
Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha and said that IPS officers should not be deputized in CAPF compared to Assistant Commandant and Deputy Commandant who take at least 15 years and 18 years for their first and second promotions respectively, an IPS officer gets four promotions within the same number of years.
Retired CAPF officials and families of serving officials are also planning a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on March 23.
Published – 16 March 2026 20:16 IST
