KESHAVJI DEVJI PATEL vs STATE OF GUJARAT .

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of seniority for ad-hoc appointees as Assistant Divisional Medical Officers in the Railways, who were regularized by court orders between 1968 and 1984. The Court held that these petitioners, not appointed through the UPSC as per recruitment rules, do not fall under the guidelines established in the Direct Recruit Class II Engineering Officers’ Association case. Consequently, a new procedure for fixing their seniority must be developed, ensuring it does not violate existing guidelines, and their seniority will be below that of directly recruited candidates. The Court emphasized the need to adhere to constitutional provisions regarding recruitment through the Public Service Commission.