In Brief
The Supreme Court resolved a dispute between Junior Engineers in the Puducherry Electricity Department concerning promotion to Assistant Engineer. The Rules established two quota streams: 50% from degree holders with three years' service, and 50% from diploma holders with seven years' service. The issue was whether diploma holders who acquired degrees during employment could count service before acquiring the degree toward the three-year threshold. The Court held that they could count the entire service period, as the Rules distinguish between diploma and degree holders, not between pre- and post-degree acquisition service. This interpretation reflected uniform departmental practice and incentivized higher qualifications, and did not require insertion of conditions not stipulated in the Rules.
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