As per the case facts, the recruitment process involved candidates who became eligible through a relaxation order issued after the official application deadline. The High Court had previously ruled on ... various challenges to this recruitment, prompting multiple appeals to the Supreme Court. The question arose whether essential eligibility criteria could be relaxed after the final date for applications, whether the existing rules were ambiguous enough to justify such a clarification, and if a proper statutory framework for recognizing institutions was in place. Finally, the Supreme Court resolved the appeals by setting aside the relaxation orders that permitted otherwise ineligible candidates to qualify. The Court mandated that merit lists should not be re-drawn to include these candidates and that future recruitment must strictly adhere to the established rules. However, appointments already made under an earlier advertisement, even those based on relaxation, would not be disturbed.