In Brief
The High Court of Kerala had approved appointments to judicial posts (Munsiff-Magistrates) beyond the notified vacancies, allowing vacant positions that arose during the next recruitment year to be filled from an earlier selection list. The Supreme Court held this violated constitutional principles. Vacancies notified for a given recruitment year must be filled from that year's select list only. Vacancies arising in a subsequent year cannot be allocated to an earlier selection, as this denies candidates in the later year their constitutional right to equal opportunity. The Court harmonised the Kerala Rules with its Malik Mazhar Sultan precedent requiring annual selections, holding that 'probable vacancies' extend only to anticipated gaps within that year, not future years. The appeals were allowed and the High Court's judgment set aside.
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