Supreme Court seeks explanation after CAPF case disappears from list

India’s Supreme Court has ordered its Registry to explain why a contempt petition involving cadre issues in the Central Armed Police Forces was removed from the cause list despite a specific order requiring it to be heard. A Bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Atul S. Chandurkar said the case had been listed as Item 32 for September 29 but was later reported to have been struck off.

The Bench directed that it, along with connected matters, be listed again at 2 p.m. on September 30. The court had previously been unable to hear the matter on September 22 because of a shortage of time.

It then ordered that the case return on September 29 and allowed respondents to submit corrected affidavits. The new order asked the Registry to provide a note explaining why the matter was removed even though a judicial direction required its listing. The proceedings concern implementation of the court’s May 2025 judgment on the role of Indian Police Service officers in senior Central Armed Police Forces posts.

That judgment directed the government to progressively reduce deputation of IPS officers to senior CAPF posts, with an outer limit of two years. It also recognised Group A CAPF officers as organised services for all purposes and called for a time-bound review of cadre and service rules. The Union Home Secretary, Govind Mohan, submitted an affidavit on September 23 explaining the government’s position.

The source said he informed the court that 46 IPS officers had been deputed to the CAPFs up to the Senior Administrative Grade since the judgment. The proceedings were initiated by retired CAPF officers. An alliance representing former and serving personnel said the case concerned about 13,000 cadre officers and that the 2025 directions had not been fully implemented.