In Brief
Two Border Security Force officers sought retrospective promotion to Second-in-Command and Commandant ranks from the date their juniors were promoted, claiming their 'good' ACR grades (not communicated) should have been treated as adverse under the benchmark of 'very good'. They relied on Dev Dutt and Sukhdev Singh principles. The High Court granted relief. The Supreme Court allowed the appeals, holding that claims for promotion must be pursued expeditiously within 6-12 months of supersession. After 17-20 years, a belated claim cannot be revived by a subsequent Supreme Court judgment. Retrospective promotion would unsettle positions of already-promoted officers and cause administrative chaos.
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