As per case facts, Junior Engineers from the 1973 batch challenged a Note appended to the Telegraphic Engineering Service (Group Posts) Recruitment Rules, 1981, in the High Court. This Note ... restricted eligibility for the first two competitive examinations to only those officers who had already qualified in the Departmental Qualifying Examination held before the 1981 Rules commenced. This effectively denied the appellants, who had completed five years of service but had not taken the prior qualifying exam (as none was held for their batch), an opportunity for promotion, leading to claims of discrimination and denial of equality. The Single Judge held the Note ultra vires, but the Division Bench reversed this decision. The question arose whether the Note appended to sub-clause (4) of Appendix I of the 1981 Rules was constitutionally valid, specifically if it introduced discrimination or denied equality of opportunity in promotion. Finally, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, upholding the Note. The Court found that the classification, though restricting, was based on a rational and intelligible differentia, giving recognition to long experience and managing the large pool of eligible candidates effectively. It concluded that the policy underlying the Note was neither discriminatory, arbitrary, nor did it deny equality of opportunity, thereby validating its constitutional standing.