A new umbrella law for CAPF service rules leaves many disgruntled

Subhashis Mittra

A new law has been enacted recently to streamline the recruitment, promotion, and service conditions (Group A General Duty officers) for major Central Armed Police Officers (CAPFs), comprising the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Within days of the passage of the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, by Parliament, the legislation got the President’s assent, providing for a unified legal framework for the central paramilitary forces.

But the provision in the law for strengthening command by formalising the Indian Police Service (IPS) deputation quotas at the senior levels (IG, ADG, DG) could ensure dominance of IPS officers in the CAPFs. In a way, it overrides the May 2025 Supreme Court verdict mandating reduced IPS deputation—an issue that has not gone down well with leaders of the Opposition parties as well as family members of serving paramilitary personnel and veterans, who staged a protest at Rajghat in Delhi.

A group of retired CAPF officers has already approached the Supreme Court with a contempt plea against the home secretary Govind Mohan for not implementing its October order in this regard. Previously, all CAPFs—CRPF, CISF, BSF, ITBP and SSB—were governed by their respective Acts.

The group of disgruntled retired CAPF officers said in a statement to the press that the proposed CAPF Regulation Bill, 2026, assumes considerable importance and any legislative intervention affecting the command stru