In Brief
In this case, the Supreme Court addressed a long-standing dispute over seniority between promotee inspectors (PRIs) and direct recruit inspectors (DRIs) in the Central Excise Department. PRIs, regularized in 1988, challenged a 2002 seniority list that ranked them below DRIs appointed in 1991–92. The High Court had upheld the list, holding promotions were made beyond the prescribed 25% quota. The Supreme Court disagreed, finding that actual vacancies supported the promotions, the ban on direct recruitment was policy, not underreporting, and quota rules must reference total actual vacancies, not mere SSC indents. The Court held PRIs entitled to seniority from their regularization date and set aside the impugned list, restoring the CAT's order.
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