Supreme Court: No Vested Right for Next Candidate to Claim Appointment if Selected Person Fails to Join

The Supreme Court held that a candidate on a select list cannot claim appointment as a matter of right simply because a higher-ranked candidate failed to join or complete formalities.

The Court emphasized that such vacancies must be filled according to specific recruitment rules rather than automatically operating the select list beyond its statutory framework.

Observing that unless service rules expressly provide for a waiting list or the passing of vacancies to the next candidate, no enforceable right exists.

Consequently, the Court set aside a High Court order that had directed the appointment of a candidate to a higher cadre post.

[State of Karnataka & Ors. v. Santhosh Kumar C]