UNION OF INDIA AND ORS. RAKESH KUMAR vs MS.TABASSUM SHAMSHAD AND ORS. — WP.CT/14/2026

Court Decision Summary The Calcutta High Court dismissed the Union of India's petition and upheld the Central Administrative Tribunal's decision that Ms. Tabassum Shamshad must be considered for promotion to Assistant Engineer based on her seniority from appointment date (1999), not her degree acquisition date (2008). The court held that seniority and eligibility are distinct concepts; since the recruitment rules provide equal 5-year service requirements for both degree and diploma holders without preferencing earlier qualification acquisition, her senior position in the combined seniority list entitles her to promotion ahead of junior degree-holding colleagues. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.