V. SIVA KUMAR . vs SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE . — C.A. No. 2945/2001

The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that the Andhra Pradesh High Court's judgment was untenable. The court clarified that "recruitment action" in the February 7, 1986 Office Memorandum meant an action taken for recruitment (selection), distinct from actual appointment, and therefore applied only to vacancies where recruitment had already commenced before that date. Since the appellants were selected before March 1, 1986, their seniority should be determined under the old principles, not the new 1986 OM. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.