A parliamentary panel has expressed concern over staffing shortages in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and recommended a new recruitment mechanism to address persistent vacancies in the agency.
The 160th report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, chaired by Brij Lal, noted that the premier investigative agency currently faces a 14.90% shortage of personnel. Against a sanctioned strength of 7,300 posts, only 6,212 personnel are currently in position, leaving 1,088 vacancies.
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The report states, “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.”
Staff shortage could affect CBI’s operational efficiency
“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 continued.
While the vacancy level has improved from 20.57% in 2024 to 14.90% in 2025, the panel said that such a shortfall in a leading investigative agency remains a matter of serious concern.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) informed the committee that one major challenge is the limited number of nominations received from state police forces, which traditionally provide officers for deputation to the CBI, particularly at the ranks of Inspector and Superintendent of Police.
Other factors contributing to the vacancies include delays by lending departments in forwarding documents for deputation, failure to identify suitable officers for selection, and gaps under the promotion quota due to the absence of eligible candidates.
The report also highlighted staffing concerns at the sub-inspector level, which forms the backbone of investigative work in the agency. As of December 31, 2025, the CBI had 77 vacancies out of 500 posts in the sub-inspector grade, and the committee noted a high attrition rate in this cadre.
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“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.
To address the issue, the committee recommended conducting a detailed root cause analysis to understand why officers are leaving the cadre. The review should examine factors such as workload, career progression, working conditions, transfers, training opportunities and inter-organisational mobility.
Based on the findings, the panel suggested that corrective measures be introduced to improve retention, morale and operational efficiency within the agency.
