In a significant judgment affecting thousands of temporary police personnel, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has declined to regularise the services of approximately 11,000 Special Police Officers (SPOs) currently serving with the Haryana Police. While the court rejected the plea for permanent absorption, it delivered a major relief by validating their entitlement to a higher salary and security of service, protecting them from arbitrary termination.
Disposing of a petition filed by the SPOs, the Bench of Justice Jagmohan Bansal clarified that regularisation could not be granted because there are “no sanctioned or regular posts” of Special Police Officers within the departmental structure. The court observed that these officers were appointed under specific provisions (Section 21 of the Haryana Police Act, 2007) for auxiliary support, distinct from the cadre of regular constables. Consequently, they cannot claim regularisation as a matter of right in the absence of statutory posts.
However, recognizing the long-standing service of these personnel—many of whom have been working without interruption since 2016-17—the High Court ruled that they cannot be exploited with low honorariums. Citing the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Grah Rakshak Home Guards case, Justice Bansal held that the SPOs are entitled to the minimum of the pay scale, including Dearness Allowance (DA), equivalent to that paid to members of the Home Guards. This decision is expected to result in a salary hike of approximately ₹15,000, taking their monthly remuneration to around ₹35,000 effective from February 1.
Furthermore, the court granted the SPOs “security of service.” It ruled that eligible employees who have completed five years of service fall within the protective ambit of the law and cannot be relieved from duty without a valid show-cause notice or due procedure. Advocate Sunil Kumar Nehra, representing the petitioners, argued that the SPOs were discharging duties identical to regular constables and deserved equal treatment. The court’s order ensures that while they remain contractual, their financial and tenure security is significantly strengthened.
