In Brief
Ad hoc judges appointed to preside over Fast Track Courts cannot claim seniority in the permanent judicial cadre from the date of their initial ad hoc appointment. The Supreme Court held that ad hoc appointments made under special rules are fundamentally different from regular cadre appointments and confer no preferential rights. When subsequently regularised to the permanent cadre following fresh selection, seniority is fixed according to statutory rules governing that regular appointment. However, the Court directed that service rendered as Fast Track Court judges must be counted for pensionary and retiral benefits.
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