Balaghat: The Ministry of Home Affairs Tuesday requested the Supreme Court to give it up to 20 months to carry out a comprehensive cadre review of the personnel and the officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The ministry, which serves as the cadre controlling authority for all CAPFs, sought additional time to comply with the court’s May 2025 judgment, citing the “nature and complexity” of the process.
Additionally, it reiterated its earlier submission to the apex court about also examining the requirement of a “statutory and regulatory intervention” in the wake of the judgment delivered on 23 May last year.
In the judgment, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Abhay S. Oka ordered the MHA to carry out the cadre review, initially due in 2021, within six months. Additionally, the top court had ordered that the deputation of officers from the Indian Police Service be “progressively reduced” over a period of up to two years, down to the post of Inspector General.
The Centre had filed an appeal, which the court junked in October, prompting the MHA to order a cadre review of group A officers from all CAPFs—Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP, and the Assam Rifles—in December last year.
However, the MHA also apprised the top court that the cadre review process is a “long drawn exercise” involving multiple stakeholders, including the Department of Personnel and Training and the Department of Expenditure in the Ministry of Finance, and finally a nod from the Union Cabinet. Citing all these “complexities”, the MHA requested the top court to allow the ministry one more year to carry out “complete the requisite procedural and statutory formalities in a comprehensive manner.”
“That it is further submitted that, the respondents are actively examining the matter and is also considering the requirement of appropriate statutory and regulatory intervention, wherever necessary, in accordance with law. The matter involves policy, financial and structural implications having long-term administrative consequences, and therefore requires careful and due consideration at each stage,” the MHA informed the top court on Tuesday during hearing on contempt petitions filed by the petitioners over non-compliance of the May 2025 judgement.
“That it is humbly submitted that in view of the nature and complexity of the process involved and the steps required to be undertaken as stated hereinabove, the Respondents most respectfully pray that this Hon’ble Court may be pleased to grant a further period of one (01) year to enable the Respondents to complete the requisite procedural and statutory formalities in a comprehensive manner,” the MHA told the court.
The MHA also informed the top court that it had already initiated the cadre review process for all CAPFs through a government order, and requested that the court modify its 23 May 2025 judgement to allow officials more time to implement the policy.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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