Kishor Kumar & Ors vs Pradeep Shukla & Ors

The Supreme Court upheld the interpretation of Rule 15(2) of the U.P. Pharmacists Service Rules, 1980, affirming that appointments must be made based on the merit of diploma holders rather than strictly by the date of obtaining diplomas. The Court emphasized that the State Government's prior practice of prioritizing earlier diploma holders irrespective of merit was not in accordance with the Rules. Consequently, the Court directed that the recruitment process should consider merit for the appointment of Pharmacists, thereby allowing the Respondents to be accommodated if eligible.