As per case facts, the Petitioner, an FCI employee, acquired an MBA degree after obtaining due permission from the competent authority. His claim for additional increments for this higher qualification ... and stagnation increments was rejected by the Respondent, citing a penalty of pay reduction and his involvement in vigilance cases. The Petitioner appealed against the punishment and challenged the rejection of benefits in the High Court, asserting his eligibility. The question arose whether the Petitioner was entitled to these benefits, considering the timing of his qualification acquisition versus the initiation of disciplinary proceedings, and the specific terms of the incentive schemes. Finally, the High Court ruled that eligibility for increments for higher qualification should be determined at the date of acquisition, not application, and subsequent vigilance proceedings cannot be a bar if the benefit accrued. Therefore, the Petitioner was entitled to the higher qualification increments. However, for stagnation increments, the matter was remanded to the competent authority for a fresh decision due to incomplete information regarding applicable circulars.