UNION OF INDIA vs A.K.NARULA

The Supreme Court held that the procedure for promotion as outlined in the O.M. dated 10.3.1989 must be strictly adhered to by the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) when assessing candidates for the post of Second-in-Command in the CRPF. The Court emphasized that the DPC's assessment should be based on a fair evaluation of Confidential Reports (CRs) and not solely on overall grading. The appeal by the Union of India was dismissed, affirming the High Court's decision that the DPC's failure to follow the prescribed procedure rendered the promotion process invalid.