ORAL ORDER

(PER: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE K. V. ARAVIND)

Heard Sri Basavaraja Patel G.K., learned counsel for the petitioner, and Sri V. Shivareddy, learned Additional Government Advocate for the respondent-State.

2. The applicant in Application No.731 of 2017 is before this Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India , challenging the order dated 16.12.2020 passed by the Karnataka State Administrative Tribunal at Bengaluru (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Tribunal’).

3. The petitioner was initially appointed to the Group- D post on 28.05.1999 and subsequently became eligible for promotion to the next higher cadre of SDA. Upon completion of the requisite number of years in Group-D, the petitioner submitted a representation seeking promotion to the post of SDA. In 2009, the petitioner, along with other similarly placed employees, filed an application before the Tribunal. The Tribunal, by its order dated 07.07.2009, directed the concerned authority to consider