New Delhi: Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan has told the Supreme Court that its May 23, 2025 direction to “progressively reduce” the number of IPS officers on deputation to Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) did not amount to a complete prohibition on fresh deputations.
The submission was made in an affidavit filed before a bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar in response to the Court’s direction seeking an explanation on the deputation of 46 IPS officers to five CAPFs after its May 2025 judgment.
The Home Secretary said the Court had directed a progressive reduction in the number of posts earmarked for IPS deputation within two years, but had not directed that such deputation be discontinued altogether. According to the Centre, the subsequent appointments were therefore made within the applicable statutory and regulatory framework.
The government further submitted that the 46 IPS officers were deputed on the basis of requisitions received from the respective CAPFs through their Director Generals and against vacancies available under the IPS deputation quota prescribed in the relevant recruitment rules.
The 46 officers comprise two Superintendents of Police, 26 Deputy Inspectors General and 18 Inspectors General. Of these, 13 were deputed to the Border Security Force (BSF), 11 to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), nine to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), six to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and seven to the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The Centre has also informed the Court that it has extended Non-Functional Financial Upgradation (NFU) benefits to address stagnation and career progression issues among CAPF officers, as directed in the May 2025 judgment.
On cadre restructuring, the Home Secretary said all CAPFs have initiated the cadre review process and submitted their proposals to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The proposals, according to the affidavit, were prepared after obtaining views and suggestions from officers and representatives at the field level.
The latest affidavit comes in contempt proceedings concerning implementation of the Supreme Court’s May 23, 2025 judgment. The Centre has also sought additional time to comply with the directions issued by the Court.
The Centre’s explanation does not amount to a judicial approval of the 46 deputations. It sets out the government’s interpretation that the May 2025 order required a gradual reduction in IPS deputation but did not impose a complete ban on fresh deputations.
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