RANCHI: The state government on Friday directed all its departments and the field officers clarifying that Scheduled Tribe (ST) and the Scheduled Caste (SC) officers who are above the general category in the seniority list would be allowed promotion in the unreserved category.
It also said the order suspending promotion in government services, which was quashed by the Jharkhand High Court on January 13, 2020, has been withdrawn.
The personnel, administrative reforms and the state language department principal secretary Vandana Dadel issued the directions to the additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries, heads of departments, divisional commissioners and the deputy commissioners in this regard. She said while promoting the ST, SC officers in the unreserved category, it is not necessary to consider whether he or she was appointed according to merit or on the basis of reservation. She has asked all the officers to start the promotion process according to the directions.
Citing an example, the personnel department said if 50 officers are to be promoted as sub-divisional officers, then the officers from 1 to 32 in the seniority list irrespective of their caste and tribal status would be promoted in the general category. The first five SC officers after the 32nd officer in the list would be promoted in SC category and the first 13 ST officers would be promoted in the ST category.
