“Stark” was the Bench’s oral word for non-compliance with the 2025 cadre review judgment for the Central Armed Police Forces, and the Union Home Ministry must now bring the CAPF cadre review files to the Supreme Court on October 28.
New Delhi: Hearing a contempt petition filed by CAPF Group-A officers against Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 15, called on the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to produce the CAPF cadre review files. These are the record of what has been done on the Court’s May 2025 directions on cadre review in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). The matter returns on October 28 [Mahendra Singh Deo v. Govind Mohan and Others].
The contempt petition, along with the Centre’s application for more time to finish the exercise, was taken up by a Special Bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan. Senior Advocate Shyam Divan appeared for the officers and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the Centre.
What the Union has to bring
The files to be placed before the Court cover the cadre review proposals of the five CAPFs, the steps taken, and the related correspondence. In the words of the order, the Union:
“…shall produce the files incorporating the details regarding the action taken pursuant to the order of this Court.”
Two points were signalled by the Bench. The CAPF Act, 2026, it indicated, does not disturb the earlier direction to review the cadres. And it will look into whether the review began within the six-month window, and whether para 45 of the 2025 judgment, which deals with progressively reducing deputation posts, has been breached. Stopping IPS deputation to the forces was something it declined to do at this stage, observing that an order passed without adequate data could leave an administrative vacuum.
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The hearing, side by side
The officers’ case, as put by Mr Divan, is about dates. The Ministry sought cadre review proposals from the forces only through letters of December 26, 2025 and February 3, 2026, by which time the six-month deadline had already passed. The order records the petitioners’ contention that this was “a flagrant violation of this court’s order”. They further alleged that IPS officers continued to be deputed to senior CAPF posts despite the judgment.
Questions came from Justice Misra: had the forces been told that their proposals were being sought in the context of the Court’s order, and had any reminder been sent? Orally, the Bench remarked that the non-compliance appeared to be “stark”.
The Centre’s answer, given by ASG Bhati, was that the Government had acted in good faith and had “nothing to conceal”. According to her, cadre review is a lengthy exercise that began soon after the judgment, and she undertook to place the original files before the Court at the next hearing.
How the case got here
The contempt plea traces back to May 23, 2025. On that date a Bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan told the Centre to complete the cadre review of all CAPFs, pending since 2021, within six months, and to progressively reduce the posts filled by IPS deputation in the forces up to the Senior Administrative Grade over two years. The Centre’s review petition was dismissed on October 28, 2025, and an application seeking more time was filed in March 2026.
A newer statute now sits alongside those directions. The Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026 was notified on October 8, and it lays down a common framework for the recruitment and service conditions of Group-A officers. It reserves 50 per cent of Inspector General posts and at least 67 per cent of Additional Director General posts for IPS deputation. The Centre has argued that the Act overrides the 2025 judgment; the officers contend that it leaves the directions already issued untouched.
Next, on October 28
The contempt petition and the Centre’s request for an extension of time will be heard together that day, with the Ministry placing the original files before the Bench. The outcome will bear directly on career progression for CAPF cadre officers, and on how far the new statute can be read against directions issued before it was enacted.
Case Title: Mahendra Singh Deo v. Govind Mohan and Others [Contempt Petition (C) No. 37 of 2026 in Civil Appeal No. 13106 of 2024]
Bench: Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Date of Hearing: October 15, 2026
Appearances: Senior Advocate Shyam Divan for the petitioners; Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati for the Union of India