New Delhi, March 10 The Union Home Ministry has drafted legislation to address the grievances of cadre officers of the paramilitary forces regarding cadre review and career progression.
Sources close to the development said that the ministry has drafted a bill which may rationalize the opening of positions for cadre officers of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) at senior levels.
Several petitions were filed before the Supreme Court seeking non-functional financial upgradation, cadre review and restructuring, and amendment of recruitment rules to eliminate the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers in CAPFs.
The proposed legislation comes after the Supreme Court dismissed the Centre's plea seeking a review of its verdict, which directed that the deputation of IPS officers in the CAPFs be reduced and cadre review be carried out within six months.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan had rejected the Centre's plea seeking the review of the May 23, 2025 verdict of the apex court.
On May 23, the top court had directed the Centre to conduct a cadre review, which was due in 2021, in all the Central Armed Police Forces, including ITBP, BSF, CRPF, CISF and SSB, within six months.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka (since retired) and Ujjal Bhuyan had directed the Department of Personnel and Training on May 23 to take appropriate decisions within three months of receiving the action taken report from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding cadre review and review of existing service rules/recruitment rules.
"Considering the twin objectives of service mobility of the cadre officers of CAPF, namely, removing stagnation on the one hand and the operational/functional requirement of the forces on the other, we are of the view that the number of posts earmarked for deputation in the cadres of the CAPFs up to the level of senior administrative grade (SAG) should be progressively reduced over a period of time, say within an outer limit of two years," the top court had said.
It had said this step will bring a sense of participation of the cadre officers belonging to the CAPFs in the decision-making process within the administrative framework of the CAPFs, thereby removing the long-standing grievances of the cadre officers.
The apex court had lauded the role of CAPFs and said it is crucial for maintaining security at the borders of the country as well as for discharging internal security duties.
The court had highlighted that the Centre has taken the view that the presence of IPS officers in each of the CAPFs is vital to maintain the character of each of them as a unique central armed force.
"This is a policy decision. Of course, individual officers belonging to the IPS or the association of IPS officers cannot have a say as to how much the deputation quota should be and how long the deputation should continue. They are there on deputation by virtue of the policy decision of the central government manifested through the service rules/recruitment rules of the CAPFs.
"Having said that, we cannot also be oblivious of the grievance expressed by officers of the CAPFs as highlighted supra. Their dedicated service upholding the security integrity and sovereignty of the nation while safeguarding our borders and maintaining internal security within the country cannot be ignored or overlooked," it had said.
Noting that CAPFs discharge their duties under very demanding conditions, the court had said that they have a grievance that because of lateral entry into the higher grades of the respective CAPFs, they are unable to get timely promotion.
"Consequently, there is a great deal of stagnation. Such stagnation can adversely impact the morale of the forces. This also needs to be factored in while considering review of such policy decisions," it had said.