In Brief
This case concerns the determination of seniority in public service under the Kerala State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1958. The question was whether seniority should be based on the effective date of advice from the Public Service Commission or the actual date of appointment. The Supreme Court held that Rule 27(c) clearly mandates that seniority be determined by the effective date of advice, not appointment. Although T. Raju's formal appointment was delayed for years following a 2001 High Court judgment, his seniority date was fixed at the effective date of the next advisable vacancy (1999), not the late appointment date. The Court dismissed both appeals and clarified that such benefit applies only to the peculiar facts of this case.
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