Mon Jul 07 22:06:07 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The provided text is a news brief from The Hindu, dated July 8, 2025, focusing on a legal challenge to new government employee promotion rules in Madhya Pradesh, India. The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the state government regarding the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Promotion Rules, 2025, approved in June. Several government employees filed petitions questioning the rules’ constitutional validity, particularly the provisions for reservation in promotions. The court has asked the government to clarify the differences between the new and existing rules and to state its position on the matter before the next hearing.

**News Article:**

**Madhya Pradesh High Court Challenges State’s New Promotion Rules**

**Bhopal, India – July 8, 2025** – The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh State Government regarding the recently approved Madhya Pradesh Public Service Promotion Rules, 2025. The court’s action follows a batch of petitions filed by government employees contesting the constitutional legality of the new rules.

A Division Bench, comprised of acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf, issued the notice on Monday. The rules, approved by the state government on June 17 after a nine-year wait, aim to address the promotion process for government employees, including those from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

The petitioners are seeking an interim stay on the rules, arguing that the provisions for reservation in promotions are contentious, especially given that the issue of reservation in the previous 2002 rules is currently pending before the Supreme Court. The new rules include a 20% reservation for ST and 16% for SC communities, while also making employees from these communities eligible for promotions based on merit.

The High Court has directed the state government to clarify the differences between the 2025 rules and the 2002 regulations, and to present its stance on the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for July 15.

According to Cabinet Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, the new rules were formulated after extensive consultations with the Law Department, taking into consideration various Supreme Court and High Court decisions to ensure the promotion process avoids legal complications. The legal challenge now puts the implementation of these rules in question.

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