M KENDRA DEVI vs THE GOVT. OF TAMIL NADU

The Supreme Court addressed the issue of seniority between direct recruits and compassionate appointees for the position of Assistant Engineers in Tamil Nadu. The court found that placing compassionate appointees senior to direct recruits violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality and non-discrimination in public employment. Consequently, the court ruled in favor of the direct recruits, ordering that they be ranked senior to the compassionate appointees in the seniority list.