- (1.) These appeals involving identical questions of law and fact were taken up for hearing together and are being disposed of by this common judgment.
(2.) Respondents herein have been working in the Secretariat of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Each and every department in the Government Secretariat prior to 1961 had a separate unit for appointment, promotion etc. The State, however, amended the Special Rules in the year 1961 whereby all the departments in the Secretariat were made the "one unit" for the purpose of appointment and promotion. Appointments in the Secretariat at all entry level posts, i.e., Junior Assistants (subsequently re-designated as Assistants), Assistants (subsequently re-designated as Assistant Section Officers), Typist/Personal Clerks were to be made from the common list of candidates selected by the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission. Promotion to different higher posts in different departments was also being made from amongst those employees. The Government of Tamil Nadu, however, by issuing G.O.Ms. No.1290 dated 05.06.1970 excluded the Finance and Law Departments from the "one unit" system. Whereas posts in the cadre of Assistants, Assistant Section Officers, Typists/Personal Clerks continued to be filled up from the common list of candidates, but in Finance and Law Departments, further promotions were effected from amongst the employees allotted thereto only. Appointments to Finance Department, however, were made at random and probably in terms of the option exercised by any particular candidate. Many persons, who have, thus, been ranking higher were employed in "one unit" departments whereas some of the candidates ranking lower were employed under fortuitous circumstances in the Finance Department. The employees working in the Finance Department, therefore, obtained promotions much ahead of their peers or even seniors who were discharging their duties in other departments coming within the "one unit".
(3.) G.O.Ms. No.3288 (Public Services Department) was thereafter issued on 29.10.1971 specifying Finance and Law Departments as separate units from the level of Superintendent (Section Officer) and above. Admittedly, however, Rule 4 of the Special Rules of the Tamil Nadu Secretariat Service was amended in that behalf. The said policy, however, is said to have been implemented. Two employees, S. Kalaiselvan and S. Sivasubramanian, filed an Original Application before the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal in the year 1990 claiming promotion and scale of pay at par with those who were working in the Finance Department and who were said to be juniors to them but had been promoted to higher posts in Finance Department. The said Original Application was allowed by the Tribunal by an order dated 16.4.1993 opining that there existed no guidelines to allot any employee to the Finance Department, vis- '-vis, other departments and, thus, the employees working in other departments could not have been deprived of the benefit of promotion. It was furthermore pointed out that even Rule 4 of the Special Rules for the Tamil Nadu Secretariat Service had not been amended by the said GOMs No.1290 dated 05.06.1970.;