In Brief
The Supreme Court held that judicial officers appointed as Fast Track Court Judges, who were next in line on merit lists but could not be accommodated due to inadequate cadre strength, are entitled to have their Fast Track service counted towards their pension and retiral benefits upon subsequent appointment to the regular judicial service. The Court rejected the State's argument that the temporary nature of Fast Track appointments precluded such benefits, finding it arbitrary to deny these benefits to judges who had served satisfactorily for nearly a decade. Relying on principles against arbitrary exercise of State power and the constitutional need for adequate judicial infrastructure, the Court allowed the appeals and directed full recognition of the service period for pensionary calculations.
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