In Brief
The Supreme Court set aside a High Court judgment that had quashed a 2008 recruitment process for Additional District Judges. The High Court had held that 42 remaining vacancies should be split equally (25:25) between promotion and direct recruitment. The Supreme Court held that recruitment quotas must be calculated from total posts in the cadre, not vacancies. Since no direct recruitment posts existed on 30 April 2008, direct recruitment candidates had no standing to challenge a promotion-focused selection. The Court emphasised the distinction between permanent cadre 'posts' and temporary 'vacancies', and held that once a selection process for notified vacancies concludes, it cannot be reopened based on subsequent vacancies."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.