In January 1995, after some 10 years, certain officers of the United Bank of India including the writ petitioner had a chance of promotion.

2. At that time they were all in the middle management group Grade II. If promoted they would go on to Grade III.

3. Interviews were held in that month and in the result it has been found by the authorities that respondents 6-10 should be the five successful promotees. The writ petitioner, although considered, was not promoted.

4. In this writ the above selection process is challenged. The points of challenge in regard to which, I called for a reply from the respondents are two in number. The first point was that there had been a breach of the declared policy of promotion even on the showing of the Bank itself. If the bank admittedly casts aside its own declared policy and proceeds to grant promotions in breach of such declared policy then the Court should interfere.

Otherwise a declaration of a policy seriously made will have no meaning and a public authority will be entitled to act as it pleases, paving the way to arbitrariness and unfairness. .

5. The clause in the policy which was relied upon reads as follows:-

"(a) For the purpose of ass