UNION OF INDIA vs S. VINODH KUMAR .

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of recruitment for the post of 'Gangman' in the East Coast Railways, where 480 posts were to be filled but certain reserved posts for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) remained unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. The Court held that the authorities could lower the cut-off marks for these reserved categories to ensure that the vacancies were filled, thereby upholding the principle of affirmative action under Article 16(4) of the Constitution. The judgment reversed the Tribunal's decision that denied the lowering of cut-off marks, allowing the appointment of candidates who met the adjusted criteria.