Cuttack, July 14: Orissa High Court today reserved judgment on the dispute over promotion of 57 inspectors of police to the rank of deputy superintendent of police (DSP).

The dispute was related to promotion of the inspectors of police on the basis of a seniority list. It was alleged that the list had been recast by adopting a process that pushed the general category officers lower down in the list than the reserved category officers despite their seniority.

On June 27, the home department issued a notification promoting the inspectors of police to the rank of DSP in the Orissa Police Service (OPS) cadre.

Sanjay Kumar Dasmohapatra, 51, inspector in vigilance cell, had filed a petition seeking quashing of the order issued by the home department. The petition had sought finalisation of the gradation list giving due seniority to the general category inspectors before promoting anybody to the rank of DSP.

Acting on it, the high court issued a stay order on the notification issued by the home department.

“After hearing arguments from both the sides, the two-judge bench of Justice L. Mohapatra and Justice B.K. Mishra today closed hearing and reserved its judgment,” petitioner counsel Amrit Mishra told The Telegraph.

The notification had promoted 57 inspectors of police to the rank of DSP in the service cadre on adhoc basis for one year from the date of joining in the promotional post or till confirmation of the Orissa Public Service Commission was received and accepted by the government. Posting order of the promoted officers, except those in deputation, was to be issued by the director general of police.

Earlier, Dasmohapatra had filed a petition in the State Administrative Tribunal. On June 29, the tribunal issued notices to the home department, but refused to pass a stay order. Instead, it had said in its order that the promotion order should be subject to the petition’s outcome.