Practical and Common-Sense Approach to Inter Se Seniority Disputes:

Inter se seniority disputes between different sets of irregular or regularised employees in the same cadre need not be examined with meticulous mathematical precision. Courts are required to adopt a practical, common-sense approach based on broad equitable principles rather than engaging in a granular forensic examination of insignificant facts. In the absence of clear recruitment rules providing a specific methodology, the standard norm of counting seniority from the date of regularisation should govern inter se disputes among non-direct recruit categories. (M.Prema Vs. The State of Tamil Nadu | 2026 INSC 1105)