In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the Kerala Administrative Tribunal's order that the regularization of 97 promotions of Upper Division Clerks to Executive Officer positions was invalid because the promotions exceeded the authorized quota. Although the promotions were initially ad hoc, the government attempted to make them permanent retroactively. The Court affirmed that such excess promotions cannot be regularized as they violate statutory limits. However, recognizing the decades of service rendered, the Court protected from reversion the few remaining incumbents still in office and preserved pension rights for those already retired, balancing legal principle with equitable considerations.
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