V.J. THOMAS vs UNION OF INDIA .

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Note to sub-clause (4) of Appendix I to the Telegraphic Engineering Service (Group Posts) Recruitment Rules, 1981, which restricted eligibility for competitive examinations to Junior Engineers who had qualified in the prior departmental examination. The Court reasoned that the classification based on years of service was rational and served a legitimate purpose, thereby not violating Article 14 of the Constitution. The appeal was dismissed as the issues had become infructuous due to the passage of time.