The Supreme Court has issued comprehensive guidelines for the recruitment and promotion of junior-level civil judges, stressing that merit-cum-seniority cannot be determined by the length of tenure in lower judicial ranks. A five-judge Constitution Bench delivered the verdict while examining issues related to promotee judges and their appointments.

The court found that statistical data placed before it does not reveal any national-level problem of disproportionate appointment of promotees. It said several states show regular promotion patterns and that entry into a common judicial cadre occurs from different sources.

Emphasising uniformity, the Supreme Court ruled that the length of performance as a civil judge or years spent in the lower rung cannot serve as criteria for determining mer

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