JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has provided interim relief to a forest officer by ruling that a vague “unsatisfactory” rating on his Annual Performance Appraisal Report (APAR) should not hinder his promotion.Justice Munnuri Laxman issued the order on April 9 while addressing a writ petition from Dinesh Kumar Dotaniya, a range officer from Dausa, contesting adverse remarks made by the accepting authority.Dotaniya’s counsel, Mirza Faisal Baig, argued that the “unsatisfactory” grading was arbitrary and lacked factual basis, failing to detail any specific performance shortcomings and violating principles of natural justice by not allowing Dotaniya a chance to defend himself. The court noted that the APAR’s key sections were incomplete and the solitary negative remark was inadequately justified.In its ruling, the court stated that any adverse comments influencing an employee’s career must be substantial and backed by a clear reasoning process. It declared that the disputed remark would not be factored into any upcoming Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) evaluation.The court has issued notices to senior forest department officials for their response within four weeks and has scheduled the next hearing for May 11.
