Govt directs all CAPFs to adopt uniform retirement age of 60 years

All personnel working in the Central Armed Police Forces, CAPFs will now retire at a uniform age of 60 years. A Home Ministry order issued yesterday has corrected the anomaly where personnel between the ranks of Constable to Commandant in four forces -Central Reserve Police Force, Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police force and Sashastra Seema Bal --superannuated at the age of 57, instead of 60. Officers from the rank of Deputy Inspector General upto the top-most rank of Director General in these four forces retired after attaining the age of 60. 

However, in two other forces of the Central Industrial Security Force and the Assam Rifles, all personnel retired at the age of 60. 

The latest Home Ministry direction comes in the wake of a January



order of the Delhi High Court where it had called the policy of different age of superannuation as discriminatory and unconstitutional, and said it created two classes in the uniformed forces. Yesterday's order also directed all the forces to comply with the court order and amend provisions of rules. It said that those who have retired at 57 years in between the court order and the Home Ministry directive will have two options - either to join service after returning all pensionary benefits or straightaway get all pension benefits as due to them as on completion of 60 years of service. Those personnel who had retired and approached court for clarification or were granted stay will be deemed "not superannuated" and will continue to serve till 60 years of age.