Protection of unreserved merit in insider cadre allotment

In state cadre allocations governed by specific cadre policies, general insider vacancies must be preserved for candidates who qualified every tier of the competitive examination on unreserved standards. Allocating an unreserved insider vacancy to a reserved candidate who qualified the preliminary screening via relaxed standards impermissibly displaces meritorious general candidates who cleared all stages without concessions. The principle of substantive equality requires maintaining a level playing field, ensuring that unreserved insider quota slots are filled strictly by candidates who met unreserved standards throughout the selection process. Consequently, cadre allocations violating these statutory guidelines are liable to be set aside. (Union of India v. G. Kiran & Ors. | 2026 INSC 15)