In Brief
A CRPF officer was removed from service in 1995 for alleged misconduct. After a long legal battle, the High Court's Division Bench in 2019 reinstated him with a minor penalty and directed promotions. The respondent then filed contempt proceedings, claiming the order wasn't implemented. The Single Judge found contempt and held that the officer was entitled to promotion to the rank of IG. The appellants challenged this via Letters Patent Appeal. The Supreme Court held that such an appeal was maintainable because the Single Judge had crystallized substantive rights (promotion) alongside the contempt finding. The Court set aside the Division Bench's rejection and restored the appeal for merit-based reconsideration."
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