Legal provisions involved: Rules governing cadre allocation of All India Services (IPS) and general principles of service law, including finality of administrative decisions.

Judgement by: Supreme Court of India.

Judge/Bench: Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Atul S. Chandurkar.

Facts

The case involved an IPS officer of the 2004 batch who was allotted the Tamil Nadu cadre. Many years later, he requested a change to the Rajasthan cadre. He claimed that an insider vacancy in Rajasthan from his batch year had not been properly filled and that he should now be given that post. His request was earlier rejected by the Central Administrative Tribunal and the Delhi High Court. He then approached the Supreme Court.

Key legal provisions

Service rules on cadre allocation and the principle that such allocations cannot be reopened after long delays.

Issues raised

Can an IPS officer seek a cadre change based on an old vacancy nearly 20 years after allocation?

Arguments of the case

The officer argued he had a rightful claim to the Rajasthan cadre. The government argued that reopening old allocations would disturb the entire system and affect seniority.

Judgement

The Supreme Court rejected the plea, stating the allocation process cannot remain open forever. Long-settled postings cannot be changed after decades.

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