In Brief
Ex-servicemen who joined the armed forces during peacetime are not entitled to count their military service for seniority when appointed to Himachal Pradesh civil posts, the Supreme Court held. While reservation quotas for ex-servicemen are valid, seniority benefits apply only to those recruited during national emergencies (1962–1968, 1971+), as they made greater sacrifices defending national sovereignty. Peacetime recruits joined as a career choice and cannot displace earlier civilian appointees. Additionally, seniority cannot be calculated from dates when appointees lacked minimum qualifications. The court dismissed all appeals and upheld the High Court's decision limiting seniority benefits to emergency-period recruits.",
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