STATE OF TAMIL NADU AND ANR. ETC. vs E. PARIPOORNAM AND ORS.

The Supreme Court held that the inter-se seniority of candidates appointed as junior professors must be determined based on the merit rankings in the approved list by the Public Service Commission, as per Rule 10(a)(i)(1) of the Tamil Nadu State and Subordinate Services Rules, 1955. The Court clarified that temporary service cannot be counted for seniority purposes when the regularisation order explicitly states otherwise. The judgment of the Madras High Court was quashed, affirming that temporary appointments do not confer seniority rights.