JAGDISH KUMAR vs STATE OF H.P. .

The Supreme Court ruled that the inter-se seniority of Tracer Draftsmen, who were promoted to Assistant Draftsmen, should be determined from the date they qualified in the departmental examination, as per the Himachal Pradesh P.W.D. Subordinate Services Class III Draftsman and Tracers Recruitment and Promotion Rules, 1961. The Court held that the earlier decision of the Himachal Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal, which denied their eligibility for promotion, was incorrect. The judgment clarified the application of Rule 6 regarding qualifications and seniority, emphasizing the importance of the departmental examination in establishing seniority.