Ranjit Singh Sarkaria, J. - (1.) THESE are 15 appeals under Clause 10 of the Letters Patent, preferred by the States of Punjab and Haryana. For the sake of convenience, they may be divided into two bunches. The first bunch is constituted by L.P.As 286, 289, 368, 340, 374, 375, 376, 377; 378; 379; 380; 502 and 511 of 1968. The second bunch consists of L.P.As 327 and 328 of 1968. The main questions of law and fact being common, this judgment will dispose of all the fifteen of them.
(2.) IN the first bunch, L.P.As 289, 368 and 286 are directed against one judgment, dated March 20, 1968, of a learned Single Judge by which he allowed writ -petitions 2457 of 1966, 2458 of 1966 and 2436 of 1966, filed under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution by Dev Dutt, Dasaundhi Ram and Balbir Singh, respectively, and the other seven appeals (LPA Nos. 374 to 380 of 1968) are directed against another judgment, dated March, 28, 1968, of the same learned Judge, by which he allowed writ -petitions 647, 1886, 136, 507, 506, 134 and 515 of 1967 made by Jagdish Singh, R.R. Bhanot, Surat Singh, Shamsher Singh, Bakhtawar Singh, Jodh Singh and Kartar Singh Kang, respectively, under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution. Letters Patent Appeal 340 of 1968 is directed against the judgment, dated March 21, 1968, and Letters Patent Appeals 502 and 511 of 1968 are directed against the orders, dated July, 26, 1968, of the same learned Single Judge, by which he allowed writ petitions 2574 of 1966, 1337 of 1967 and 878 of 1967, made by Sarmukh Singh, Gurcharan Singh Bhamra and Gurbux Singh Bhamra. The Respondents in the first bunch of appeals were promoted and appointed on officiating basis as Sub -Divisional Officers in the Punjab Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads Branch) on various dates from March 1, 1956 to January 9, 1963. Excepting the names and dates of their promotion, the other material facts in all these 13 appeals are identical.
(3.) BEFORE his promotion, Dev Dutt Respondent in L.P.A. 289 and Kartar Singh, Respondent in L.P.A. 380 were working as Planning Assistant/Draftsman, while the remaining 11 Respondents were Overseers (now called Sectional Officers).;