The Supreme Court on Monday put on hold the Armed Forces Tribunal order demoting a Lt General to Brigadier's rank and imposing Rs 50 lakh on the government for promoting the officer in violation of the rules. A vacation bench of Justice PC Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy gave the order on Centre and Chief of Army Staff's appeal, contending the Lucknow bench of AFT had delivered a "perverse" order. "Every part of the judgement should be set aside," Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the bench. He said the verdict will have a demoralising effect on the army and tribunals should not be allowed to pass such orders. The tribunal had also ordered Lt General NK Mehta to pay Rs 5 lakh after holding that he had colluded with his seniors to obtain the promotion from Brigadier to Major General in 2012. The AFT's order came on a petition filed by Mehta's batch mate Major General RS Rathore who was found unfit for the Lt General's post last year when Mehta was promoted. Both Rathore and Mehta belong to the Army Ordnance Corps of the 1979 batch.