Supreme Court Explains Features Of Doctrine of Legitimate Expectation

The Supreme Court clarified the doctrine of legitimate expectation, stating it applies only in public law and not contractual matters. Legitimate expectation must stem from an explicit or implicit promise or consistent past practice by an authority. It cannot arise from random, unreasonable, or sporadic actions. The Court emphasized that legitimate expectation requires a legal relationship with the authority and applies to both substantive and procedural issues. In the case at hand, the Court ruled that teachers from a private institution could not claim salaries equal to government teachers due to the absence of any prior promise or statutory obligation.