SSC Sub Inspector in Delhi Police & CAPFs Recruitment 2026: Apply Online for 1871 Posts | Last Date 30-09-2026
If you’ve got a bachelor’s degree in hand and have been eyeing a uniformed government job with real career progression, the Staff Selection Commission has just opened one of the most awaited recruitment drives of the year. The SSC CPO (Central Police Organisation) Recruitment 2026, officially known as the Sub-Inspector in Delhi Police and Central Armed Police Forces Examination 2026, has been released for 1,871 Sub-Inspector posts. The online application process started on 10th September 2026 and will remain open until 30th September 2026.
This is a recruitment that a lot of aspirants wait for every year, because it’s one of the few SSC exams that leads directly to a supervisory, uniformed post in some of India’s most recognised police and paramilitary organisations — Delhi Police, CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB. This year’s notification also brings a new addition: Sub-Inspector (Fire) posts in CISF, along with a revised exam pattern for both Paper-I and Paper-II.
In this article, we’ll break down every important detail of this recruitment — vacancy distribution, eligibility, physical standards, exam pattern, salary, and the complete step-by-step application process. And if you’re someone who likes to track multiple government recruitment updates in one place, you can bookmark JobNoticeLive for regular notifications across banking, postal, defence, and other sarkari naukri categories. In fact, if you missed our earlier coverage on the India Post GDS drive, you can also check out our detailed write-up on India Post GDS Recruitment 2026, and our update on the SBI PO Prelims 2026 Score Card, which is currently live for candidates awaiting their marks.
About SSC CPO / SSC SI Recruitment 2026
The Staff Selection Commission conducts this examination every year under Notice No. E/37/2026-C-2 Section to fill Sub-Inspector vacancies across the Delhi Police and the Central Armed Police Forces, which include the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB. This year, the Commission has also introduced a new category — Sub-Inspector (Fire) in CISF — which wasn’t part of previous recruitment cycles.
Selected candidates for Delhi Police SI posts will be responsible for maintaining law and order, crime prevention, and general supervisory duties within the National Capital, while those selected for CAPF SI (GD) posts are liable to be posted anywhere in the country, given the nature of central armed police deployment. It’s a physically demanding but professionally rewarding line of work, and for many candidates, it also opens the door to further promotions within the police and paramilitary hierarchy over the course of a career.
Important Dates
Since this recruitment moves fast and has multiple sequential stages, keeping track of the timeline is critical:
- Notification Release Date: 10th September 2026
- Start of Online Application: 10th September 2026
- Last Date to Apply Online: 30th September 2026, up to 11:00 PM
- Last Date for Online Fee Payment: 1st October 2026
- Application Correction Window: 8th to 10th October 2026, up to 11:00 PM
- Paper-I (Computer Based Examination): Date yet to be announced by SSC, tentatively expected a few months after the application window closes
One point worth flagging here: unlike a lot of state-level recruitment drives, SSC does not commit to a fixed exam date at the time of notification release. The Paper-I schedule will be announced separately once the application process concludes, so keep checking the official SSC website and portals like JobNoticeLive for updates on the admit card and exam date once they’re out.
Vacancy Details – 1,871 Posts
The total number of vacancies notified this year stands at 1,871, spread across the following categories:
- Sub-Inspector (Executive) – Delhi Police (Male)
- Sub-Inspector (Executive) – Delhi Police (Female)
- Sub-Inspector (GD) – CAPFs (CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB)
- Sub-Inspector (Fire) – CISF (Male) — newly introduced this year
According to the notification, out of the total vacancies, a portion is reserved specifically for female candidates under the Delhi Police SI (Executive) category — reports indicate that around 112 posts have been kept aside for women applicants in Delhi Police alone, apart from the vacancies open to women across CAPF postings. The Commission has, as usual, clarified that these vacancy numbers are provisional and subject to revision based on requirements communicated by the respective user departments closer to the selection stage.
Since SSC does not release a state-wise or region-wise vacancy breakup for this particular exam — vacancies are notified centrally and candidates are allotted based on merit and preference during counselling — you won’t find a “vacancies by state” table in the notification the way you would in something like GDS or a state PSC recruitment. Instead, focus on the post-wise categories and plan your preferences accordingly when you reach the post-preference stage of the application.
Eligibility Criteria
Educational Qualification
Unlike GDS or similar 10th-pass recruitments, SSC CPO requires a proper degree-level qualification:
- Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognised university.
- For the Sub-Inspector (Executive) post in Delhi Police specifically, male candidates must possess a valid Driving Licence for Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) — covering both motorcycle and car — at the time of the Physical Endurance and Measurement Test (PE&MT).
- Male candidates who do not hold a valid LMV licence are not eligible for Delhi Police SI posts, but they can still apply for SI (GD) posts in the CAPFs, where this requirement does not apply.
- Final-year graduation students are allowed to apply provisionally, but they must be able to produce proof of having completed their degree by the closing date specified in the notification.
Age Limit
The age criteria differ slightly depending on the specific post:
- SI (Executive) in Delhi Police and SI (GD) in CAPFs: 20 to 25 years
- SI (Fire) in CISF: 18 to 30 years
Age is calculated as on the cut-off date of 1st August 2026. This means candidates applying for most SI posts must have been born not earlier than 2nd August 2001 and not later than 1st August 2006. For SI (Fire) in CISF, the birth window extends from 2nd August 1996 to 1st August 2008.
As always, age relaxation applies for reserved categories as per standard government norms — typically 5 years for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and additional relaxation for Ex-Servicemen and PwBD candidates, as detailed in the official notification.
Nationality
A candidate must be a citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal, or a subject of Bhutan (the latter two subject to producing an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India).
Application Fee
The fee structure for SSC CPO 2026 is straightforward:
- General, OBC, and EWS category candidates: ₹100
- Women candidates (all categories), SC, ST, and eligible Ex-Servicemen: Fully exempted from paying any fee
Payment can be made online through BHIM UPI, Net Banking, or eligible Debit/Credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, RuPay). One thing worth noting this year — SSC has migrated to a new website and application portal, so candidates who previously registered on the old SSC portal will need to complete a fresh One-Time Registration (OTR) on the new system, since old OTR credentials are not valid here.
Selection Process
The SSC CPO selection process runs through several distinct stages, and candidates need to clear each one sequentially to move forward:
- Paper-I (Computer Based Examination) – An objective-type exam testing General Intelligence & Reasoning, General Knowledge & General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension.
- Physical Standard Test (PST) and Physical Endurance Test (PET) – Qualifying in nature; candidates must meet height, chest (for male candidates only), and weight standards, plus clear timed running, jumping, and endurance benchmarks.
- Paper-II (Computer Based Examination) – A more detailed written exam, with English Comprehension carrying significant weightage.
- Detailed Medical Examination (DME) – Covering vision, hearing, and general physical fitness standards.
- Document Verification – Verification of all educational, category, and identity-related documents before final selection.
Only Paper-I and Paper-II carry marks toward the final merit list; PST/PET and the medical examination are qualifying stages, meaning you either clear them or you’re out of contention — there’s no partial credit carried forward into your final score.
Exam Pattern – Paper-I
This year’s notification brings a revised pattern for Paper-I:
- Total Questions: 100 (25 questions from each of the four sections)
- Total Marks: 100
- Duration: 1 hour, with a sectional time limit of 15 minutes per section
- Negative Marking: 0.25 marks deducted for each wrong answer
The sectional timing is an important change to note — you can no longer “borrow” extra time from one section to finish another, since each of the four sections (Reasoning, General Awareness, Quantitative Aptitude, and English Comprehension) is locked to its own 15-minute window.
Exam Pattern – Paper-II
- Total Questions: 160
- Total Marks: 400 (200 questions were reported in some circulated details, but the confirmed structure per the notification has English Comprehension carrying the highest weightage with 100 questions worth 200 marks)
- Duration: 1 hour, with a sectional time limit of 20 minutes per section
- Negative Marking: 0.50 marks deducted for each wrong answer
As with Paper-I, sectional timing applies here as well, so candidates need to pace themselves carefully within each block rather than relying on an overall time cushion.
Minimum Qualifying Marks
To be considered for final selection, candidates need to clear the minimum qualifying percentage in both Paper-I and Paper-II:
- Unreserved (UR): 30%
- OBC/EWS: 25%
- SC/ST/Other reserved categories: 20%
These percentages are calculated before any applicable NCC bonus marks are added.
Physical Standards (PST)
The Physical Standard Test checks whether candidates meet the minimum height, chest, and weight requirements. Here’s a general breakdown based on category:
Height (Male):
- General/OBC/EWS: 170 cm
- Hill areas (specified regions): 165 cm
- ST: 162.5 cm
Height (Female):
- General/OBC/EWS: 157 cm
- Hill areas: 155 cm
- ST: 154 cm
Chest (Male only):
- General/OBC/EWS: 80 cm (unexpanded) – 85 cm (expanded)
- ST: 77 cm (unexpanded) – 82 cm (expanded)
Female candidates are not required to undergo chest measurement under any category. Weight, for both male and female candidates, must be proportionate to height and age as per medical standards prescribed by the recruiting authority.
Physical Endurance Test (PET)
Once you clear the PST, you move to the PET, which tests running speed, jumping ability, and (for male candidates) throwing ability:
For Male Candidates:
- 100 metre race: to be completed within 16 seconds
- 1.6 km race: to be completed within 6.5 minutes
- Long jump: minimum 3.65 metres (in three chances)
- High jump: minimum 1.2 metres (in three chances)
For Female Candidates:
- 100 metre race and 800 metre race (with separate qualifying timing standards)
- Long jump and high jump with reduced qualifying benchmarks compared to male candidates
Exemption: Ex-Servicemen candidates are exempted from appearing in the PET, though they are still required to clear both computer-based papers and meet the PST standards.
Since PET is a qualifying stage where many candidates who score well in Paper-I unfortunately get eliminated, it’s strongly advisable to begin physical training well ahead of the exam rather than waiting for the Paper-I result to come out.
Detailed Medical Examination (DME)
After clearing Paper-II, shortlisted candidates go through a Detailed Medical Examination that checks:
- Vision: Distant vision of 6/6 in the better eye and 6/9 in the other eye. Candidates with spectacles must meet the same standard with correction, and colour vision is also assessed.
- Hearing: Candidates must meet the minimum prescribed hearing standards.
- General Fitness: Absence of knock-knee, flat foot, varicose veins, or any other obvious physical deformity that could affect duty performance.
The medical standards are qualifying in nature, and candidates found medically unfit at this stage are not considered for final selection regardless of their written exam performance.
Salary and Perks
Selected Sub-Inspectors are placed under Level-6 of the 7th Central Pay Commission Pay Matrix, with a starting basic pay of ₹35,400, going up to ₹1,12,400, in addition to Dearness Allowance (DA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), Transport Allowance (TA), and other allowances applicable to uniformed central government service. Depending on posting location and force, additional benefits such as ration allowance, uniform allowance, and risk/hardship allowance (particularly for CAPF postings in sensitive areas) may also apply.
Beyond the pay package, an SI post in Delhi Police or a CAPF offers a genuine long-term government career with clear promotional avenues to Inspector and beyond, along with pension and other retirement benefits applicable to central government uniformed services.
How to Apply Online – Step by Step
The application process runs entirely through the official SSC website. Here’s how to go about it:
Step 1: Visit the Official SSC Website
Go to the official portal at ssc.gov.in. Note that SSC has migrated to a new website this year, so make sure you’re registering fresh rather than trying to log in with old credentials from a previous SSC exam application.
Step 2: Complete One-Time Registration (OTR)
If you haven’t already registered on the new SSC portal, you’ll need to complete a fresh One-Time Registration by entering your basic personal, educational, and contact details.
Step 3: Log In and Fill the Application Form
Use your newly generated Registration Number and Password to log in, then proceed to fill out the SSC CPO 2026 application form — selecting your preferred posts (Delhi Police SI, CAPF SI GD, or CISF SI Fire), exam centre preferences, and category details.
Step 4: Upload Photograph and Signature
Upload a recent passport-size photograph and scanned signature as per the specified size and format mentioned in the notification.
Step 5: Pay the Application Fee
If you fall under the General, OBC, or EWS category, pay the ₹100 application fee using UPI, Net Banking, or an eligible card. Women candidates, SC/ST candidates, and eligible Ex-Servicemen can skip this step.
Step 6: Review and Submit
Carefully check every detail — post preference, category, exam centre choice, and personal information — before final submission. Applications can also be submitted through the mySSC mobile application, in case you prefer applying from your phone.
Step 7: Save Your Confirmation
Download and keep a copy of your final submitted application and fee payment receipt for future reference, even though you won’t need to send any physical copy to SSC at this stage.
Application Correction Window
SSC will open a correction window from 8th October to 10th October 2026, up to 11:00 PM, allowing candidates to fix errors in their submitted application. Correction charges apply irrespective of gender or category, so it’s still best to fill the form accurately the first time rather than depending on this window as a backup plan.
Why This Recruitment Matters
The SSC CPO exam remains one of the most sought-after opportunities for graduates looking to build a career in law enforcement and central security services. Unlike constable-level recruitment, an SI post comes with supervisory responsibility right from the entry level, along with a respectable pay scale and long-term career stability that’s hard to match in the private sector.
That said, this is not an easy recruitment to clear. Between two rounds of written examination, a genuinely demanding physical test, and a strict medical examination, candidates need sustained preparation across both academic and physical fronts. It’s a marathon process spread across several months, and the ones who succeed are usually those who start preparing for the PET as seriously as they prepare for Paper-I, rather than treating physical fitness as an afterthought.
Tips for Applicants
- Start your OTR early. Since SSC has moved to a new portal this year, don’t wait until the last few days to register — technical glitches are common during high-traffic periods on any large recruitment portal.
- Check your LMV driving licence status early if you’re aiming for Delhi Police SI — getting a licence made at the last minute before the PE&MT stage can be a genuinely stressful scramble.
- Begin physical training immediately, regardless of when your Paper-I exam gets scheduled. PET benchmarks like the 1.6 km run and long jump require months of consistent training, not last-minute cramming.
- Pay attention to sectional timing while practising for both papers — since you can’t shift time between sections this year, timed sectional mock tests matter more than ever.
- Keep your documents ready in advance, especially your degree certificate, category certificate, and Ex-Servicemen documents if applicable, since document verification comes at a later stage but candidates are often given limited notice.
- Rely only on official sources for admit card and exam date announcements — SSC has repeatedly cautioned candidates against trusting unofficial WhatsApp or Telegram forwards claiming to have “leaked” dates.
Where to Get Reliable Updates
Government exam cycles like this one move in stages spread across several months — application, correction window, Paper-I, PST/PET, Paper-II, and finally the medical exam — and it’s easy to miss an update if you’re not tracking it consistently. For ongoing coverage of this recruitment alongside other current opportunities, JobNoticeLive is a good place to bookmark. If you’re also exploring other active recruitment and result updates right now, don’t miss our detailed piece on the India Post GDS Recruitment 2026 for Class 10-pass candidates, and our coverage of the SBI PO Prelims 2026 Score Card release for banking aspirants.
As always, the final word on eligibility, dates, and vacancy numbers rests with the official SSC notification. This article is meant to help you navigate the process more easily, but before submitting your application or making decisions based on eligibility criteria, do cross-check the details directly on the official SSC website, ssc.gov.in.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the last date to apply for SSC SI Delhi Police & CAPFs Recruitment 2026? The online application window closes on 30th September 2026 at 11:00 PM. The last date for fee payment is 1st October 2026.
2. How many vacancies are there in this recruitment? A total of 1,871 vacancies have been notified across Sub-Inspector (Executive) in Delhi Police, Sub-Inspector (GD) in CAPFs, and the newly introduced Sub-Inspector (Fire) post in CISF.
3. What is the educational qualification required? Candidates need a Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline from a recognised university. Male candidates applying for Delhi Police SI also need a valid LMV driving licence.
4. What is the age limit for this recruitment? 20 to 25 years for most SI posts, and 18 to 30 years for SI (Fire) in CISF, as on 1st August 2026, with standard age relaxation for reserved categories.
5. What is the application fee? ₹100 for General, OBC, and EWS candidates. Women, SC, ST, and eligible Ex-Servicemen are exempt from paying any fee.
6. Is there negative marking in the exam? Yes. 0.25 marks are deducted per wrong answer in Paper-I, and 0.50 marks per wrong answer in Paper-II.
7. Is PET compulsory for all candidates? Ex-Servicemen are exempted from the PET but must still clear the PST and both written papers. All other candidates must clear both PST and PET to proceed further.
8. What is the salary for SSC SI posts? Selected candidates draw pay under Level-6 of the pay matrix, ranging from ₹35,400 to ₹1,12,400, along with DA, HRA, TA, and other applicable allowances.
9. Can female candidates apply for Delhi Police SI posts? Yes. Female candidates can apply for SI (Executive) posts in Delhi Police as well as SI (GD) posts across CAPFs. Female candidates are not required to meet chest measurement standards during the PST.
10. When will the Paper-I exam be conducted? SSC has not yet announced the exam date for Paper-I. Candidates should keep checking the official SSC website for the admit card and exam schedule once released.
This article is for informational purposes based on publicly available notification details. Candidates are advised to verify all information, including vacancy numbers, dates, and eligibility criteria, directly from the official SSC website before applying.
