- (1.) Heard Sri Ashok Khare, learned Senior Advocate, assisted by Sri Siddharth Khare, learned counsel for petitioner in leading case, i.e. Writ Petition No. 1689 of 2011 (hereinafter referred to as "first petition"), learned Standing Counsel for State-respondents; and Sri A.K. Sinha, learned counsel appearing for Commission. Learned counsels appearing for petitioners in rest of the writ petitions have adopted the arguments advanced by Sri Ashok Khare, learned Senior Advocate in leading case.
(2.) The petitioners are seeking upper age limit so as to be considered for recruitment to the post of Additional Private Secretary in U.P. Secretariat pursuant to advertisement No. A-5/E-1010 dated 25.12.2010 and have sought consequential mandamus to the respondents to consider them as eligible and within permissible age limit.
(3.) The U.P. Public Service Commission (hereinafter referred to as "UPPSC") advertised 120 vacancies under general recruitment, and, 10 under special recruitment, of the posts of "Additional Private Secretaries" in U.P. Secretariat at Allahabad and Lucknow vide advertisement A-5/E-1/2010 dated 25.12.2010, published in Employment News dated 25-31 December' 2010. The last date for submission of application form was 21.1.2011. Para 6 thereof provided age limit and reads as under: "Age Limit: The candidates must have obtained the age of 21 years and must not have crossed age of 35 years as on 01.07.2010 i.e. they should have born after 1st July 1989 and not before 2nd July 1975";