In Brief
An Air Force officer challenged a promotion policy under which he ranked first on merit but third in seniority, resulting in his non-promotion before superannuation. The Supreme Court upheld the policy as a valid 'seniority-cum-merit' system that first screens candidates on merit and eligibility, then promotes in order of seniority. The Court held the policy is not discriminatory under Articles 14 and 16. It also ruled that the officer was estopped from challenging the policy after voluntarily participating in the selection process. The appeal was dismissed.
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