A parliamentary panel has asked the government to institutionalise a system of maintaining a reserve panel or waitlist, in consultation with recruiting agencies, to fill vacancies in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is facing a 14.90% shortage of officers and is not receiving sufficient and suitable nominations from state police forces that have traditionally been a major source of induction.
The committee also recommended undertaking a detailed root cause analysis to examine the reasons for attrition in the sub-inspector cadre in the federal anti-corruption agency.
The 160th report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, chaired by Brij Lal of the Bharatiya Janata Party, noted that against a sanctioned strength of 7,300 posts, the CBI currently has an in-position strength of 6,212 personnel, leaving a shortfall of 1,088 posts (14.90%).
To be sure, the vacancies in the CBI in 2025 have reduced to 14.90% from 20.57% in 2024.
Asserting that a vacancy level of nearly 15% in a premier probe agency is a matter of serious concern, the committee said in the report: “The committee notes that one of the major reasons for vacancies under the Direct Recruitment quota is that certain candidates recommended by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) do not ultimately join the organisation, resulting in persistent shortfalls.”
“The committee is of the view that such avoidable vacancies should not be allowed to spill over and affect operational efficiency. The committee, therefore, recommends that a system of maintaining a reserve panel or waitlist, in consultation with the recruiting agencies, may be institutionalised so that vacancies arising due to this phenomenon can be filled in a time-bound manner without initiating a fresh recruitment cycle,” the report states.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) informed the committee that the major reasons for vacancies in the CBI include the agency not receiving sufficient and suitable nominations of officers from state police forces, which have traditionally been a major source of induction, particularly in the rank of Inspectors and Superintendents of Police (SPs). It also said that some candidates recommended by the UPSC and SSC under the direct recruitment quota do not ultimately join the organisation, resulting in persistent vacancies.
Other reasons cited include delays in sending relevant documents by lending departments after identifying personnel for deputation by the CBI; failure of lending departments to identify suitable or skilled personnel, which results in non-selection even after scrutiny; and vacancies under the promotion quota due to the non-availability of eligible officers.
The report also noted that there are 77 vacancies out of 500 posts in the sub-inspector grade in the CBI as of December 31, 2025, and that a “high attrition rate has also been indicated in this cadre”.
“Considering that sub-inspector is the feeder grade for supervisory positions and forms the backbone of investigation work, the Committee views this as a matter of serious concern,” the report added.
It recommended that “a detailed root cause analysis be undertaken to examine the reasons for attrition in the SI cadre, including issues relating to workload, career progression, working conditions, transfers, training, and inter-organisational mobility. Based on such analysis, appropriate corrective measures may be introduced to enhance retention and morale.”
