given its consideration in the minutes of the Selection Committee for selection of officers for promotion from Forest Rangers to the rank of Conservator of Forest held on 16.02.2021. The Selection Committee upon perusal of the records found that there is a departmental proceeding initiated against the petitioner Abdur Rouf Ahmed as per the show cause notice dated 02.06.2018 under Rule 9 of the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal)Rules 1964 read with Article 311 of the Constitution of India. As there is a departmental proceeding pending, by following the proposition of law laid down by the Supreme Court in Union of India Vs. KV Jankiraman reported in (1991) 4 SCC 109, the Selection Committee took a decision on the claim of the petitioner for promotion, but kept it in a sealed cover, till finalization of the departmental proceeding. In view of such stand of the respondents, as supported by the records, we are of the view that no arbitrariness nor any illegality is discernible on the act of the respondent authorities in keeping the claim of the petitioner for promotion in a sealed cover. Accordingly the writ petition stands closed by providing that upon completion of the departmental proceeding, the decision of the Selection Committee held on 16.02.2021, which had been kept under sealed cover, may be given its effect by strictly following the procedure of law in this respect laid down in KV Jankiraman (supra), particularly, in view of paragraph 26 of the pronouncement.
