Santosh Kumar And Others vs G.R. Chawla And Others

The Supreme Court held that ad hoc services cannot be excluded from seniority calculations if the appointments were made after satisfying all eligibility criteria and considering all eligible candidates, referencing the precedent set in Direct Recruit Class II Engineering Officers' Association v. State of Maharashtra (1990) 2 SCC 715. The Court found that the High Court erred in its judgment by not recognizing the continuous officiation of ad hoc appointees for seniority purposes. Consequently, the Supreme Court quashed the High Court's order and directed a fresh determination of seniority in accordance with the established guidelines.