NEW DELHI – Indian Army’s new promotion policy for the rank of MajorGeneral and Lieutenant General has been challenged by a Brigadier in ArmedForces Tribunal (AFT) on the grounds that it has arbitrarily reduced thenumber of vacancies for the rank of Major General, thus putting officers ofthe rank of Brigadier at a disadvantage.

A petition has been filed by a serving officer Brig Rajwant Singh in theprincipal bench of the AFT, seeking quashing of the selection board for theofficers of “general cadre”. The selection process was held in January 2018and result was announced in February.

The officer has argued that this board was illegally deferred after thecommencement of the selection process and in the interim period the armyheadquarters amended the promotion policy to reduce the number of vacancies.

The Brigadier, who belongs to 1986 batch, has contended that the selectionwas originally scheduled for October 2017, but was deferred withoutassigning any reason to the officers who were to be considered in it. Hehas contended that the selection was only to promulgate the new promotionpolicy with the aim to reduce the vacancies for the 1986 batch.

The petitioner has stated the respondents — Chief of Army Staff, Union ofIndia, and Military Secretary — revised the policy in December 2017, whichstated that four consecutive batches from 1986 to 1989 will be given only75 per cent of vacancies, which arise in a calendar year.

It has also been averred that the selection process for the promotion boardstarted in September 2017, and by deferring it Supreme Court guidelineshave been violated.