The Division Bench—Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma—ruled that statutory service requirements under recruitment rules are non-negotiable, and administrative or executive approvals cannot override them.

A limited competitive exam for eight Translator posts was announced by the High Court registry, requiring candidates to have completed five years of service in the High Court Registry by the cut‑off date (Sept 20, 2022). An applicant, originally appointed in 2016 as Copyist and transferred in 2018 (with probation), argued that his prior district judiciary service should be counted. After administrative approvals (Grievance Committee + Chief Justice) permitted him to sit for the exam, he scored well. However, objections by other candidates led the Chief Justice to reverse course—disqualifying him for not having five years within the High Court Registry. The Bench upheld this disqualification.

This judgment reinforces a broader legal doctrine: administrative discretion cannot override statutory mandates, particularly in public service recruitment.

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