Union Of India And Anr vs V.N. Bhat

The Supreme Court held that the period of service rendered by an employee in a different department should not be disregarded when considering eligibility for promotion under the One Time Bound Promotion Scheme and B.C.R. Scheme. The Court emphasized that the withdrawal of the promotion based solely on the lack of 16/26 years of service in the Postal Department was unjust, as the employee's prior service in the Ministry of Defence should be counted towards eligibility. The Court upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal's decision to reinstate the promotion, thereby affirming the principle that prior service experience cannot be ignored in promotion considerations.