- (1.) Since identical questions of law and fact are involved in both the above writ petitions, therefore, with the consent of the learned counsel for the parties, the above writ petitions have been taken up together for hearing and are being decided by this common order.
(2.) The petitioners of W.P. No. 2014 of 2016, who are 86 in number and the petitioners of W.P. No. 3174 of 2016, who are four in number are seeking quashing of the notice dated 04.12.2015, annexure-6 to the writ petitions, whereby the petitioners who have been selected for the post of Fireman have been put to notice that their selection is illegal as some of the petitioners were over age for the post of Fireman and that all the petitioners had failed to deposit Rs.200/- as the application fee for the post of Fireman and therefore, they are not eligible to be considered for the post of Fireman.
(3.) The brief facts of the case are that, an advertisement was issued on 15.7.2011 for the U.P. Police Constable (Civil Police) and Constable Provincial Armed Constabulary Direct Recruitment Joint Examination-2011. All the petitioners applied against the said advertisement but the selection was not finalised and the advertisement was subsequently cancelled and a fresh notification was issued on 14.5.2013. A Corrigendum was issued on 20.6.2013, annexure-3 to the writ petition, to the effect that a candidate shall disclose his preference and if a candidate mentions only one preference and the second and third preferences are not mentioned then he will be considered only against the post for which he has given his preference. It was also mentioned that if there was any contradiction between the preferences given or if no preference is given then the candidate would be considered against the remaining posts.;