Dev Dutt vs Union Of India & Ors

The Supreme Court held that the appellant's non-promotion to the post of Superintending Engineer was unjust as he was not communicated a 'good' entry in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) for the year 1993-94, which violated the principles of natural justice. The Court emphasized that only adverse entries need to be communicated to an employee, referencing the case of Vijay Kumar vs. State of Maharashtra, which established that uncommunicated adverse reports should not deny benefits to government servants. The Court ruled in favor of the appellant, highlighting the need for transparency in promotion criteria under the Border Roads Engineering Service Group 'A' Rules.