UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Over 3,000 serving officers move SC against CAPF Act

Q1. The umbrella law of 2026 that regulates recruitment, deputation, promotion and other conditions of service of officers of the Central Armed Police Forces was piloted in Parliament by which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of Home Affairs, the administrative ministry for the CAPFs
  • B. The Department of Personnel and Training under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
  • C. The Ministry of Defence, which administers the armed forces and their service conditions
  • D. The Department of Border Management functioning under the Ministry of External Affairs

Q2. The reduction of IPS deputation posts in the CAPFs, as directed in May 2025, has to be worked out by the authority that carries out cadre management of the Indian Police Service. Which one of the following is that authority?

  • A. The Police Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which handles IPS cadre structure, empanelment and deputation
  • B. The Department of Personnel and Training, which alone handles cadre management of all three All India Services
  • C. The Union Public Service Commission, which is exclusively responsible for cadre allocation and central deputation of IPS officers
  • D. The Police-II Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is entirely responsible for all service matters of central police organisations

Q3. Consider the following in respect of the Supreme Court's order of May 23, 2025 on IPS deputation in the Central Armed Police Forces: 1. Deputation of IPS officers up to the rank of Inspector General in CAPFs was to be 'progressively reduced'. 2. Posts earmarked for deputation up to the level of Senior Administrative Grade were to be reduced within an outer limit of two years. 3. A review petition filed by the Centre against the verdict was rejected by the Court. 4. The Court ordered that every post of Director General in the CAPFs be filled forthwith from the cadre officers of the respective force. Which of the above is/are correctly identified as part of the Court's directions and their aftermath?

  1. Deputation of IPS officers up to the rank of Inspector General in CAPFs was to be 'progressively reduced'.
  2. Posts earmarked for deputation up to the level of Senior Administrative Grade were to be reduced within an outer limit of two years.
  3. A review petition filed by the Centre against the verdict was rejected by the Court.
  4. The Court ordered that every post of Director General in the CAPFs be filled forthwith from the cadre officers of the respective force.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q4. Consider the following statements about the raising of the Central Armed Police Forces: 1. The force now called the Central Reserve Police Force was established in 1939 as the Crown Representative's Police and renamed by an Act of Parliament in 1949. 2. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was conceived in October 1962 in the wake of Chinese aggression. 3. The Central Industrial Security Force came into existence in 1969 with an initial strength of about 3,000 personnel to guard the India–Nepal border. 4. The Sashastra Seema Bal came into existence in early 1963 as the 'Special Service Bureau' under the Ministry of Defence. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The force now called the Central Reserve Police Force was established in 1939 as the Crown Representative's Police and renamed by an Act of Parliament in 1949.
  2. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was conceived in October 1962 in the wake of Chinese aggression.
  3. The Central Industrial Security Force came into existence in 1969 with an initial strength of about 3,000 personnel to guard the India–Nepal border.
  4. The Sashastra Seema Bal came into existence in early 1963 as the 'Special Service Bureau' under the Ministry of Defence.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2 and 4

Q5. In the context of the deployment of border-guarding forces in India, the principle articulated in 2004 and applied thereafter means which one of the following?

  • A. A single designated central force is made responsible for guarding a given international border, as when the India–China border was entrusted wholly to the ITBP
  • B. A force deployed on an international border is barred from any other duty, so that it serves on that border alone throughout its existence
  • C. Each border outpost is manned by one composite battalion drawn in rotation from all the central forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs
  • D. Two neighbouring States sharing an international boundary maintain one joint force for that boundary, funded on a shared basis

Q6. As per the norms governing central deputation of IPS officers, officers permanently seconded to the Research and Analysis Wing together with 'hard-core' officers of the Intelligence Bureau should not exceed what proportion of the Central Deputation Reserve of a cadre?

  • A. 25 per cent
  • B. 33 per cent
  • C. 50 per cent
  • D. 67 per cent

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the Indian Police Service and the All India Services: 1. The Indian Police Service was constituted under Article 312 of the Constitution. 2. The All India Services comprise the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service. 3. An IPS officer appointed on central deputation is permanently absorbed at the Centre and never reverts to the parent State cadre. 4. Cadre allocation, empanelment and deputation of IPS officers are handled exclusively by the Department of Personnel and Training. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Indian Police Service was constituted under Article 312 of the Constitution.
  2. The All India Services comprise the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service.
  3. An IPS officer appointed on central deputation is permanently absorbed at the Centre and never reverts to the parent State cadre.
  4. Cadre allocation, empanelment and deputation of IPS officers are handled exclusively by the Department of Personnel and Training.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 4 only

Q8. Consider the following statements comparing instances in which the legislature has responded to judicial decisions: 1. The Customs Amendment and Validation Bill, 2011 retrospectively validated duties imposed and actions taken by customs officials who were not authorised under the Customs Act, undoing the effect of the Sayed Ali ruling. 2. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2009 substituted a 'fair and remunerative price' for the Court's formula of a statutory minimum price with profit-sharing, but applied only prospectively from the date of its promulgation. 3. Unlike these ordinary-law responses, the 2014 attempt to replace the collegium was carried out partly through a constitutional amendment, which the Supreme Court nonetheless struck down as violative of the basic structure. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Customs Amendment and Validation Bill, 2011 retrospectively validated duties imposed and actions taken by customs officials who were not authorised under the Customs Act, undoing the effect of the Sayed Ali ruling.
  2. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2009 substituted a 'fair and remunerative price' for the Court's formula of a statutory minimum price with profit-sharing, but applied only prospectively from the date of its promulgation.
  3. Unlike these ordinary-law responses, the 2014 attempt to replace the collegium was carried out partly through a constitutional amendment, which the Supreme Court nonetheless struck down as violative of the basic structure.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. How many legislative instruments did Parliament enact in 2014 to replace the collegium system with an independent commission for judicial appointments, and what became of them?

  • A. One instrument, which the Supreme Court read down while retaining the commission
  • B. Two instruments, both of which the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional
  • C. Two instruments, of which the Supreme Court upheld the statute but struck down the amendment
  • D. Three instruments, all of which lapsed before the Supreme Court could rule on them

Q10. Consider the following in respect of the 2026 petition filed in the Supreme Court against the CAPF (General Administration) Act, 2026: 1. The petitioners are about 3,000 serving cadre officers drawn from all five CAPFs, including gallantry medal winners and some women officers. 2. They seek a declaration that Sections 3 and 4 of the Act are ultra vires the Constitution. 3. They contend that a cadre officer's first promotion is delayed by 15–16 years in the worst cases, as against two promotions an IPS officer earns in the same span. 4. The matter was listed for hearing in the first week of August 2026. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The petitioners are about 3,000 serving cadre officers drawn from all five CAPFs, including gallantry medal winners and some women officers.
  2. They seek a declaration that Sections 3 and 4 of the Act are ultra vires the Constitution.
  3. They contend that a cadre officer's first promotion is delayed by 15–16 years in the worst cases, as against two promotions an IPS officer earns in the same span.
  4. The matter was listed for hearing in the first week of August 2026.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q11. Consider the following statements about the administrative control and deployment of the Central Armed Police Forces: 1. The Ministry of Home Affairs lists the Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard among the Central Armed Police Forces. 2. The Border Security Force is responsible for the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh. 3. The Sashastra Seema Bal mans the border with Myanmar, while the Assam Rifles oversees the borders with Nepal and Bhutan. 4. Under the Act of 2026, all posts in the rank of Inspector General in the CAPFs are to be filled by deputation of IPS officers. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The Ministry of Home Affairs lists the Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard among the Central Armed Police Forces.
  2. The Border Security Force is responsible for the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
  3. The Sashastra Seema Bal mans the border with Myanmar, while the Assam Rifles oversees the borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
  4. Under the Act of 2026, all posts in the rank of Inspector General in the CAPFs are to be filled by deputation of IPS officers.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4