N. LAKSHMANA RAO & ORS. ETC. vs STATE OF KARNATAKA & ORS. ETC.

The Supreme Court addressed the validity of the Karnataka State Civil Service (Age of Compulsory Retirement) Rules, 1974, which reduced the age of compulsory retirement from 58 to 55 years. The Court held that such a reduction constitutes a removal or termination of service under Article 311 of the Constitution, thus requiring adherence to the principles of natural justice. The Court ruled that the teachers' rights to the age of retirement as per previous agreements and laws were protected, and the new rules could not be applied retrospectively to their detriment.