In Brief
Four lecturers sought seniority over another educator (K) in the senior lecturer cadre at Nagaland's SCERT. K objected, arguing the lecturers' promotion dates came after her regularization. The Court held that officiating periods in a promotional post cannot be counted toward the five-year continuous service requirement in the feeder grade prescribed by the 2003 Rules. Since the lecturers' regularization in the feeder grade occurred after their promotion offers, they did not satisfy eligibility criteria. The Court dismissed the appeal, maintaining K's seniority, and clarified that statutory eligibility requirements cannot be overridden by retrospective administrative orders.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.