Centre Directs CRPF to Adopt Strict SFC Provisions to Punish Its Officers

The Union Home Ministry has directed the country's largest paramilitary force CRPF to adopt the strict 'security force court' (SFC) legal provisions for initiating disciplinary action against its group 'A' officers. The force, at present, is following the CCS (central civil services) Rules, under which all the non-uniformed officials of the central government are governed, for this purpose.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the administrative and operational control authority for the CRPF and it issued an order on August 23 directing the over 3.25 lakh-personnel force to "take immediate action for incorporating the provisions of security force court in its acts and rules for disciplinary action against Group 'A' officers." The order accessed by PTI said this was necessary as disciplinary proceedings being conducted against the officers of the force was under the CCS (classification, control and appeal) Rules, 1965 and they were taking “a very long time to reach the conclusion”.

It reasoned that the officers of other central armed police forces (CAPFs) like the BSF, ITBP and SSB were facing disciplinary action under the ‘security force court’ procedures and such cases concluded there in a “short period of time.”

According to officials, the ‘security force court’ system is a stricter and stringent system of initiating disciplinary action and adjudication against officers in uniform with provisions for constitution of a ‘general force court’ that has the powers to arrest, detain and imprison the accused during the course of proceedings. The ‘general force court’ can also order reduction in rank, forfeit pay and allowances, impose fines and issue reprimands to the accused officer as punishment after completion of proceedings before it.

Such decisions, however, have a appellate mechanism too, they said.

The Home Ministry order said “a large number” of disciplinary action cases of officers in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) pertained to “unauthorised absence or desertion” from duty and these were taking a long time to conclude.

It said including the “security force court” provisions by the CRPF will help in “initiating disciplinary action against the delinquent officers, so that such cases are finalised within minimum time”.

The CRPF is designated as the lead internal security force of the country and it has three primary theatres of operations — conducting anti-Naxal operations in Left Wing Extremism affected states, counter-terrorist combat in Jammu and Kashmir and anti-insurgency duties in the north-eastern states.

It is also the single largest force that is deployed across the country for conduct of general, assembly and other elections apart from rendering assistance to state police forces in maintaining law and order, riot control, perimeter security of some important installations and also providing VIP security to high-risk personalities.

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