Overview

• A division bench of acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf issued notices on July 7 seeking the state’s stance on the constitutional validity of the 2025 promotion rules
• The government gave an undertaking on July 8 that no promotions will be implemented under the new policy until the High Court reconvenes on July 15
• The General Administration Department is drafting a formal response and compiling a comparative chart to distinguish the 2025 rules from the struck-down 2002 framework
• The 2025 rules reintroduce 20% reservation for Scheduled Tribes and 16% for Scheduled Castes within a merit-seniority system and aim to unlock over 200,000 vacancies frozen since 2016
• The High Court’s upcoming decision will determine when the state can clear a nine-year backlog affecting roughly 400,000 employees