In Brief
The case involved a dispute over promotion to Junior Management Scale II in Mahakoshal Kshetriya Bank governed by seniority-cum-merit rules. The bank fixed minimum qualifying marks of 12 points each in interview and performance appraisal reports, in addition to the 40% minimum required in the written test. The High Court's Single Judge and Division Bench held this violated seniority-cum-merit principles and ordered a fresh exercise. The Supreme Court allowed the bank's appeals, holding that setting minimum merit benchmarks does not violate seniority-cum-merit so long as promotions among qualifying candidates follow strict seniority order. The Court set aside the High Court orders and directed preparation of a fresh select list applying the permissible benchmarks.
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