Government notifies CAPF Act amid pending challenge in Supreme Court
The Indian government has officially notified the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, despite ongoing legal challenges in the Supreme Court. The law, which impacts cadre management and IPS deputation, is currently the subject of contempt proceedings regarding a 2025 court judgment.
Why it matters
This highlights a significant conflict between executive legislative action and judicial oversight regarding the administrative structure of India's paramilitary forces.
The Ministry of Home Affairs notified that the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Act, 2026, will come into force from Thursday (October 8, 2026), nearly five months after the legislation was passed by Parliament, even as its constitutional validity is under challenge before the Supreme Court .
Serving CAPF officers have challenged the law, which will impact cadre management and the deputation of Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to senior positions in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Among them is Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Assistant Commandant Bibhor Kumar Singh, a Shaurya Chakra awardee who lost both his legs in an anti-Maoist operation in Bihar in 2022 and is the lead petitioner in one of the cases.
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