In Brief
The Supreme Court held that executive instructions issued under Article 166(1) cannot override statutory rules governing recruitment processes. When a recruitment process for government positions (Enrolled Followers in State Rifles, Civil Service, and Police Service posts) had substantially progressed under existing statutory rules, the State Government issued a New Recruitment Policy to change recruitment procedures and cancelled all ongoing processes. The Court ruled this cancellation unlawful as it breached statutory rules without formal amendment. Though candidates lack absolute rights to appointment, they possess a legitimate expectation of fair, non-arbitrary completion of recruitment initiated under existing rules. The State failed to demonstrate that the cancellation served larger public interest. The Court directed completion of all interrupted recruitment processes within specified timeframes.
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