Friday, March 25 2005 11:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In yet another controversy over promotions in the armed forces, a Major General has approached the Delhi High Court alleging that he was shown as a Brigadier in a seniority list prepared by the Army to prevent him from being promoted to the rank of Lt General.

A Division Bench of Justice B A Khan and Justice Anil Kumar has restrained the Army authorities from acting on the seniority list till May 11 the next date of hearing.

Issuing notices to the Defence Secretary, Secretary, Department of Defence Production Director General of Quality Assurance, Additional Director of Quality Assurance and Major Generals Rakesh Puri and P Mago, the court sought their replies to the petition filed by Major General R S Balyan.

Balyan, who has been serving the Army in the substantive rank of Major General since May 25, 2002 complained that on March 16, 2004 Army authorities issued a seniority list of Permanently Seconded Service Officers (PSSO) in Directorate General of Quality Assurance (DGQA) in which he has been shown as a substantive Brigadier with effect from March 1, 2004.

Petitioner's counsel Rekha Palli submitted that it was done only with a view to prevent Major General Balyan from being promoted to the rank of Lt General for which a Board was likely to be convened on or after March 24, 2005.

She also pointed out that Balyan's promotion to the substantive rank of Major General was also notified in the official Gazette Notification dated January 3, 2004.

Terming the Army authorities' act as arbitrary and illegal, Palli urged the court to quash the impugned seniority list, prepare a correct one as per Gazette Notification and consider the petitioner for promotion to the rank of Lt General at the earliest.