Instructions and Guidelines on Seniority - DOPT

   Department

Of

Personnel and Training

“Instructions and Guidelines on Seniority”

SENIORITY OF DIRECT RECRUITS AND PROMOTEES

1. These principles shall apply to the determination of seniority in Central Civil Services and Civil Posts except such Services and Posts for which separate principles have already been issued or may be issued by the Government.

2.1. SENIORITY OF DIRECT RECRUITS

   The relative seniority of all direct recruits is determined by the order of merit in which they are selected for such appointment on the recommendations of the U.P.S.C. or other selecting authority, persons appointed as a result of an earlier selection being senior to those appointed as a result of subsequent selection. The
relative seniority that used to be determined earlier according to the date of confirmation and not the original order of merit, (in case where confirmation was in an order different from the order of merit indicated at the time of their appointment), in accordance with the general principles of seniority, has been discontinued w.e.f. 4.11.1992 (O.M. No. 20011/5/90-Estt (D) Dated 4.11.1992). The general principles of seniority therefore stands modified to that extent.

2.1.1 Clarification : Appointment from the Reserve panel at a later date: The interse seniority of candidates nominated from reserve panel will be fixed as per consolidated merit given by UPSC/SSC/Recruiting agency. However instructions circulated vide this Department’s O.M. No. 41019/18/97-Estt.(B) Dated 13th June 2000 should be strictly followed in operating or requesting for nominations from the reserve panel.

2.1.2 Clarification In case if more than one-selection panels received from UPSC/SSC through letter of the same date. It has been encountered on a number of occasions that UPSC etc. in response to two separate requisitions from the Department on different point of time, sends two panels of direct recruits on the same date. Since the general principles on seniority envisages that the candidates appointed through an earlier selection stand senior to those appointed through a subsequent selection, it becomes difficult to fix the inter-se seniority of the candidates in such cases drawn from two different panels of the same date. Accordingly, it has been decided that, effort would be made by the UPSC and other selecting authorities to avoid recommending the panels on the same date and strive to send the panel for earlier requisition first. However, in case of such an eventuality (i.e. different panels on the same date)

Click here to read full details..