Indore (Madhya Pradesh): After nearly a decade of uncertainty, the path has been cleared for promotions to 42 vacant deputy collector posts in Madhya Pradesh, with the Supreme Court dismissing special leave petitions filed by more than a dozen direct-recruit deputy collectors challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s directions.
A two-judge Bench comprising Justices Kumar Aravind and Vipul B Pacholi, after a prolonged hearing, found the challenges premature and based largely on apprehensions.
The apex court declined to interfere with the promotion process directed by the High Court, allowing the State government to proceed with the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) for all 42 posts.
The dispute dates back to January 2016, when the State government convened a DPC for promotions to deputy collector but deferred decisions concerning 42 posts.
The reasons included non-availability of annual confidential reports (ACRs), FIRs against officers in the zone of consideration and other grounds. The promotions remained stalled for almost 10 years.
In August 2023, a Single Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court found the withholding of promotions arbitrary and contrary to Rule 6 of the applicable Promotion Rules.
It directed the State to convene the DPC and grant promotion, seniority and consequential benefits retrospectively from Jan 1, 2016.
The State challenged the decision through a review petition and subsequently before the Division Bench. On July 1, 2026, the Division Bench affirmed the Single Bench’s view and directed the State to convene the DPC within 45 days for all 42 posts.
It further ordered that eligible officers promoted against these posts receive notional seniority and pay-related benefits retrospectively from Jan 1, 2016.
Under Madhya Pradesh’s service rules, deputy collector posts are filled equally through direct recruitment and promotion, with promotions drawn from tehsildars and Surveyor Land Records (SLRs).
The direct recruits approached the Supreme Court contending that granting retrospective promotions over 10 years would severely prejudice them, potentially pushing them 42 ranks down, despite having served as deputy collectors since December 2016.
They also argued that the High Court had granted the relief without hearing them or making them necessary parties.
However, the Supreme Court, hearing arguments led by senior advocate Siddharth Bhatnagar, held that the SLPs were premature.
The court observed that the direct recruits’ grievance, if any, would arise only after the DPC concluded its exercise and the State issued promotion orders.
The petitions were dismissed, while granting the direct recruits liberty to challenge the promotion orders before the High Court later if they remained aggrieved.
The court also observed that where officers were denied promotions for no fault of their own, there was no reason to deny them the benefit retrospectively, particularly after they had succeeded before both the Single Bench and the Division Bench.
Senior advocates Samdarshi Tiwari and Siddharth R Gupta appeared for the respondent officers awaiting promotion under the High Court judgment.
With the Supreme Court’s order, the decade-old bottleneck has moved closer to resolution.
The State must now undertake the DPC process for the 42 posts, potentially giving long-delayed officers the seniority and consequential benefits they have been seeking since Jan 1, 2016.
