SC to Rehear Tripura Promotion Policy Contempt Case on December 12 Again, Petitioners Seek Stay on Recent Promotion Notification Too
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, December 11, 2025
The Supreme Court of India will once again hear on 12 December 2025 the crucial contempt proceedings linked to Tripura’s Promotion Policy, 2021, after the matter could not be taken up today due to the absence of one of the judges on the three-judge Bench.
The case appeared today before the Bench comprising the Chief Justice, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi at 10:30 AM in the Chief Justice’s Court, as per the daily cause list of December 11, 2025. With the Bench incomplete, the matter has been relisted for hearing tomorrow in an another banch.
The proceedings relate to the long-pending Contempt Petition (Civil) No. 13 of 2017 arising out of the landmark appeals State of Tripura & Others vs Jayanta Chakraborty & Others (Civil Appeal Nos. 4562–4564 of 2017). The petitioners, the General Officer & Employees Welfare Society, have sought intervention from the Court alleging deliberate and willful violation of Supreme Court orders issued on 27 July 2015, 15 April 2019, and 31 January 2023 and Recent notification issued on earlier ad-hoc promotions as regular promotions.
According to the petitioners, despite repeated judicial directions to maintain status quo in promotions, the Government of Tripura continued granting promotions under the Promotion Policy, 2021, which they argue contravenes as per the Full Bench judgment of the Tripura High Court in WPC 189/2011
And Constitutional principles governing reservation in promotions.
Tensions intensified following a new government notification dated 01 December 2025, declaring that: All promotions under the 2021 Policy would be considered regular promotions from the date of ad-hoc promotion
And Pensionary and other service benefits would flow accordingly. The notification said that All such promotions would remain subject to the outcome of SLP(C) Nos. 19765–19767 of 2015.
The petitioners claim this notification is in direct contempt of earlier Supreme Court orders. They allege that the decision disproportionately benefits SC/ST candidates while depriving general-category officers of fair and equal opportunity in the promotional hierarchy.
The application also alleges that several departments in Tripura created supernumerary posts exclusively for SC/ST employees, a practice the petitioners say violates: The Tripura High Court’s interpretation of Rule 9(2) of the 1991 Reservation Rules and Supreme Court-mandated requirements of quantifiable data, proportionality, and the Nagaraj principles for reservation in promotion.
Significantly, the petition refers to observations from the Tripura High Court in WA No. 127 of 2024, where the legality of such ad-hoc promotions was questioned.
In their plea before the Supreme Court, the petitioners have requested:
a) A direction compelling the State of Tripura to comply fully with previous Supreme Court orders.
b) A stay on the 01 December 2025 Notification, which they describe as unconstitutional and contemptuous.
c) Cancellation of all supernumerary promotions granted solely to SC/ST candidates under the Promotion Policy, 2021 — or, alternatively, providing proportional benefits to general-category employees.
d) Any further orders the Court may deem fit in the interest of justice.
The application, filed on 06 December 2025 by Advocate Dr. (Mrs.) Vipin Gupta, stresses that the State’s actions represent a persistent violation of judicial orders and an ongoing denial of equitable treatment to a large segment of Tripura’s government workforce.
With the matter now rescheduled for 12 December 2025, all eyes are on the Supreme Court as it prepares to examine the validity of the State’s latest promotion notification and the allegations of contempt linked to the long-disputed Promotion Policy.
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