The contempt petitions filed by CAPF officers over the deputation of IPS officers to the paramilitary forces, which were struck off the Supreme Court’s cause list despite a judicial order, have now been placed before a Special Bench headed by Justice Manoj Misra, the judge already hearing the challenge to the new CAPF law.
New Delhi: The contempt petitions against the Union Home Secretary alleging non-compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2025 judgment on the Central Armed Police Forces have been listed on Wednesday, September 30, at 2 PM before a Special Bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan [Mahendra Singh Deo and Others v. Govind Mohan and Others].
The listing comes a day after a Bench of Justice Bhuyan and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar directed the Registry to explain why the matter had been struck off the cause list for September 29 despite a judicial order fixing it for hearing that afternoon.
How the matter moved
The contempt petitions had until now been heard by Justice Bhuyan and Justice Chandurkar. On September 22, that Bench directed listing on September 29 at 2 PM and allowed the respondents to file corrected affidavits. When the case was struck off the list on September 29, the Bench directed that it be listed again on September 30 along with connected matters, with a note from the Registry on why the listing was dropped.
The matter has instead been placed before the Special Bench, with Justice Misra presiding and Justice Bhuyan as the second judge. Justice Misra’s Bench is separately hearing the writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, which the petitioners contend nullifies the 2025 judgment.
Background of the case
The petitions, by serving and retired CAPF officers, allege violation of the May 23, 2025 judgment in Sanjay Prakash and Others v. Union of India, delivered by a Bench of Justice A.S. Oka and Justice Bhuyan, with Justice Bhuyan authoring the verdict. The judgment held the CAPFs to be organised Group A services and directed a progressive reduction in the deputation of IPS officers to senior posts in the forces. The Centre’s review petition was dismissed in October 2025.
At an earlier hearing in the contempt proceedings, Justice Bhuyan’s Bench had asked the Union Home Ministry to explain the deputation of 46 IPS officers to the CAPFs after the May 2025 judgment. No finding has yet been recorded on the allegation of contempt.
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Case Title: Mahendra Singh Deo and Others v. Govind Mohan and Others
Case Number: Contempt Petition (C) No. 37 of 2026 in C.A. No. 13106 of 2024 and connected matters
Bench: Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan (Special Bench), Supreme Court of India
Listed On: September 30, 2026, 2 PM