E.A. Sathyanesan vs V.K. Agnihotri And Ors

The Supreme Court held that the principle of reservation operates on the basis of cadre strength rather than vacancies, as established in R.K. Sabharwal & Ors. v. State of Punjab & Ors. and Ajit Singh Januja and Ors. v. State of Punjab. The Court clarified that seniority must be maintained across reserved and unreserved categories in promotions. The Tribunal's decision to dismiss the contempt petition was upheld, affirming that the earlier judgments were to be applied prospectively, thus denying retrospective relief to the appellant.