In Brief
An Air Commodore challenged his non-promotion to Air Vice Marshal, arguing that the Air Force promotion policy violated constitutional equality by requiring merit-based selection lists to be rearranged by seniority before promotion. Though he ranked first in merit, he was placed third in seniority and retried before available vacancies arose. The Supreme Court dismissed his appeal, holding that a two-stage process—first selecting meritorious candidates, then promoting by seniority—complies with 'seniority-cum-merit' principles and does not violate Articles 14 or 16. The Court found the policy rational and reasonable, and noted the officer was estopped from challenging it after participating in the selection process.
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