The Delhi High Court has directed Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to review the recruitment rules of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The CAPF consists of seven forces -- Assam Rifles (AR), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), National Security Guard (NSG), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).
The CAPF cadre officers have sought an amendment to the rules of recruitment and appealed that the vacancies of Senior Administrative Grade (SAG) should be filled by promotion and not by a deputation of IPS officers. The officers have contested in several writ petitions filed since 2009 that salaries and perks of CAPFs’ cadre officers, who are directly recruited, should be at par with IPS officers.
A bench of Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw and Justice Asha Menon directed the MHA to immediately review the existing recruitment rules of each CAPF and place its decision in this regard before the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The court observed,“We find merit in the contention of the senior counsel/counsel for the petitioners, that during the Cadre Review, the Cadre Officers of CAPFs are also required to be compulsorily given an opportunity of hearing and be heard. Even if IPS Officers are occupying any posts in CAPFs, grant of opportunity of hearing to them is not the same as grant of opportunity to the Cadre Officers of CAPFs. It is only the Cadre Officers of CAPFs who have grievances qua stagnation, residency etc. and the IPS Officers, even if manning some posts in CAPFs, are not aggrieved therefrom.”
