New Delhi, Jan. 14 -- The Delhi High Court has held that an officer seeking allocation to their home State cadre under the All India Services Cadre Allocation Policy must necessarily indicate the home State as their first preference, and that merely expressing willingness to serve in the home State or listing it as a lower preference does not create any enforceable right.

Setting aside a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order, the court held that cadre allocation must strictly follow the preference order and the policy scheme, and cannot be altered by creating supernumerary posts.

A Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Madhu Jain allowed a writ petition filed by the Union of India challenging the CAT's 2014 direction ...