Keep waitlist or reserve system for CBI vacancies: Parl committee

NEw new delhi: A parliamentary venire has recommended the regime to institutionalise a scheme of maintaining a book panel or waitlist to fill the vacancies in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), noting that the federal agency was facing around 15% shortage of personnel and was not receiving sufficient nominations from the state police, which have traditionally been a major source of recruitment.The parliamentary standing committee on personnel, public grievances, law and justice, in its 160th report, tabledin the Lok Sabha on Monday, 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 committee, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Brij Lal, noted that in 2025, CBI had in-position strength of 6,212 personnel, 1,088 posts (or 14.90%) lower than the sanctioned 7,300 positions. To be sure, CBI had 20.57% vacant posts in 2024.Asserting that a vacancy level of nearly 15% in a premier probe agency is a matter of serious concern, the committee in its report said: “The committee notes that one of the major reasons for vacancies under the Direct Recruitment quota is that certain candidates recommended by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) and SSC (Staff Selection Commission) do not ultimately join the organisation, resulting in persistent shortfalls.”Stating that such avoidable vacancies should not be allowed to spill over and affect operational efficiency, the committee report recommended 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 department of personnel and training (DoPT) informed the committee that CBI was not receiving sufficient and suitable nominations of officers from state police, particularly in the ranks of inspectors and superintendents of police (SPs).The report pointed out 77 vacancies out of 500 posts in the sub-inspector grade in CBI as on December 31, 2025, adding 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 said.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.”