Section 18 of Kerala High Court Service Rules, 2007

18. Appointment as full members :- An approved probationer shall, if a substantive vacancy in the permanent cadre of the category for which he was selected exists, be appointed to be a full member of the Service in such category at the earliest possible opportunity, and if such vacancy existed from a date previous to the issue of the order of appointment as full member, he may be so appointed with retrospective effect from such date or, as the case may be, from a subsequent date from which he was continuously on duty as a member of the Service in such category or in a higher category: Provided that- (1) Where more than one approved probationer is available for such appointment, the seniormost on the date of occurrence of vacancy shall be appointed; (2) A member of the Service completing his probation earlier than another member of the Service senior to him by virtue of completion of probation alone, shall not be confirmed before the member senior to him. A senior member shall be confirmed according to his seniority in the Service after he completes satisfactorily the period of his probation. Explanation:- An approved probationer who has been on leave or on other duty shall be deemed to be on duty as a member of the Service in the category concerned if he would have been on duty in such category or in a higher category but for his absence on leave or on other duty.