Approach CAT: Uttarakhand HC to IPS officers contesting Centre's deputation order

Nainital, Mar 23 (PTI): The Uttarakhand High Court has directed senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers Neeru Garg and Arun Mohan Joshi to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to challenge their deputation to central force.

Written By : PTI | Updated at : 24 Mar 2026 01:02 AM (IST)

Nainital, Mar 23 (PTI): The Uttarakhand High Court has directed senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers Neeru Garg and Arun Mohan Joshi to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to challenge their deputation to central forces.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay issued this directive while hearing the matter.

Garg and Joshi—both IPS officers of the Uttarakhand cadre—had filed a petition in the High Court challenging their deputation to central forces, arguing that it was done against their will and, moreover, to posts lower in rank than their current positions.

Through an order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Garg—a 2005-batch IPS officer—was posted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), while Joshi—a 2006-batch IPS officer—was appointed as DIG in the Border Security Force (BSF).

Both officers are currently serving as Inspectors General (IG) in the Uttarakhand Police; in their petition, they stated that they had neither applied for nor consented to a central deputation at any point.

The officers argued that, despite this, they are being forcibly transferred to the lower rank of DIG.

The petition further stated that the officers had previously expressed their reluctance regarding central deputation and had even been exempted from it for a period of five years.

However, notwithstanding this, the state government forwarded their names to the Centre on February 16, following which the Centre issued the orders for their deputation.

The state government argued that, pursuant to Section 14 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, the petition was not maintainable before the High Court. Consequently, the petitioners withdrew their petition. PTI DPT AMJ AMJ

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