In Brief
An OBC candidate, A. Shainamol, selected in the Civil Services Examination 2006 on general merit without availing OBC concessions, was allocated Himachal Pradesh cadre instead of her preferred Kerala cadre. She challenged this before the Central Administrative Tribunal seeking allocation to Maharashtra as an OBC candidate. The Supreme Court held that consultation on cadre allocation is required with the allocating State, not the home State. Since she qualified on general merit, she must be treated as a general category candidate. A selected candidate has no right to claim appointment to any specific cadre or home State; allocation is governed by the roster system. The Court dismissed her application and set aside the High Court and Tribunal orders allowing her petition.
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