In Brief
Judicial officers promoted to District and Sessions Judge Grade II through ad hoc appointments under the Fast Track Court Scheme claimed seniority from their initial appointment date, arguing their letters of appointment showed regular status. The Supreme Court held that seniority cannot be counted from ad hoc appointments made outside the regular cadre, even where appointment letters do not expressly state 'ad hoc' status. The posting orders to Fast Track positions and the scheme-specific rules governed the true nature of appointment. Direct recruits appointed to substantive vacancies ranked senior. Ad hoc service rendered no seniority rights over direct recruits, and the officers' later regularisation did not backdate seniority. The appeal was dismissed as fundamentally lacking in merit.
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