New delhi: If there is only one post in a cadre, no reservation can be provided for SC/ST/OBC as such a quota will amount to 100 per cent reservation which is not permissible, the SC has held.
Giving this ruling a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C. Pant said, “Until there is plurality of posts in a cadre, the question of reservation will not arise because any attempt at reservation by whatever means and even with the device of rotation of roster in a single post cadre is bound to create 100 per cent reservation of such post whenever such reservation is to be implemented.”
Writing the judgement Justice Misra, however, said, “If a singular post in the clerical cadre is there, it would be filled up by promotion from among the eligible candidates from the feeder cadre. Adopting such a method or taking such route does not remotely touch the idea of quota.”
