Why Centre has increased IPS officer posts in Maharashtra

What are IPS cadre posts?

Police posts at the senior level include two types of officers: IPS officers who have cleared exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and State Police Service (SPS) officers who have entered the force through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams. IPS officers are posted in sensitive areas as they are believed to be better equipped than SPS officers. These posts are called cadre posts. SPS officers too can become IPS officers after several years of service. Every state has limited cadre posts

What does the latest notification mean?

The latest notification means that 12 non-cadre posts where SPS officers too could be posted have now been made cadre posts. Now, these posts will be held by IPS officers.

On what basis does the Centre decide this?

Generally, every five years, the Centre conducts a review of the cadre strength of each state and the state is asked to send a proposal. If the state believes that particular areas need a cadre post due to challenges there in the past few years or if some new commissionerate has come up which needs IPS officers, the same is communicated to the Centre. The Centre then decides whether the non-cadre posts must be converted to cadre posts or not.

Do governments stick to the cadre and non-cadre posting rules?

No. In Maharashtra itself, several SPS officers have been posted to cadre posts. The general perception is that if the government wants to post a particular officer at a post, it does so even if it is a cadre post and the officer is SPS. This has been criticised in the past as it is seen as government interference in police postings and an indicator of favouritism.