A bid by 22 police sergeants to halt the process for promotion to sergeants major had been thwarted after a court revoked a temporary warrant of prohibitory injunction.

The sergeants had obtained the warrant last month after claiming that they had been discriminated against twice.

The saga dates back to September 2013, when a call for application for the posts was issued. Interviews were held between October 8 and 10, 2013 but no results were ever published and the marking criteria were never revealed, the court was told.

READ: Police sergeants say they were twice passed over for promotion

Two sets of promotions were issued in November 2013 and May 2016 but the 22 officers were overlooked and took their grievance before the Police Appeals Board, where the matter is still pending.

The First Hall, Civil Court, presided by Mr Justice Joseph R. Micallef, observed that the selection process for the post of sergeant majors was an exercise undertaken at the personal and sole discretion of the police commissioner. The Home Affairs Minister had no say in the process.

The court observed that although there were a number of vacancies in the grade of sergeant majors, there was currently no selection process in view.

"A warrant of prohibitory injunction is an exceptional rather than an ordinary procedural legal provision," the court pointed out. Such a warrant must be essential to safeguard the pretended rights of those requesting its issue.

The applicants needed to prove that their rights would be irremediably lost unless the precautionary remedy was granted. In this case, the sergeants wanted to stop any selection process from being carried out once their grievance had not yet been resolved.

The court observed that since there was no current selection process, there seemed to be no prima facie right to safeguard. Therefore it declared the revocation of the precautionary warrant and ordered the applicants to foot the legal expenses involved.

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