SANTOSH KUMAR vs STATE OF A.P. .

The Supreme Court addressed the validity of the High Court's decision allowing the relaxation of recruitment rules under Rule 47 of the A.P. State & Subordinate Service Rules, 1962, which permitted the regularization of temporary appointments with retrospective effect. The Court upheld the Tribunal's finding that while the government could relax rules, the services of those appointed without following proper procedures could not be counted for seniority purposes. Consequently, the Court ruled in favor of the appellant, affirming that the initial appointments of the respondents were invalid for seniority determination.