Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 6: The state government, on Tuesday, issued a fresh order, staying its earlier order on protecting promotions given to government employees belonging to scheduled castes and tribes on the basis of reservation criteria.

The government had passed a law to nullify an earlier order of the Supreme Court. The apex court had held in B K Pavitra case that giving promotions on the basis of reservation was wrong and ordered the government to rework the promotion process and promote/revert employees of general and reserved categories after removing weightage given to reserved category employees in promotions. The state government had on February 27 this year, ordered to protect these promotions even if that meant creation of supernumerary posts, in accordance with the law it had passed to circumvent Supreme Court order.

Based on the above order, over 200 employees have been given promotions. These orders will now be held in abeyance. Those who have already begun to discharge duties at their place of new posting, will have to continue in their earlier positions.

The government, in its order issued on Tuesday, said that order protecting promotions should not be acted upon till further instructions. It asked all the departments to follow this order without exception and warned that failure to comply with it would be viewed seriously.