Judgment

S.P. Kurdukar, J.-Leave granted.

2. The appellants are the direct recruit Sales Tax Officers Class-I in the Sales Tax Department of the State of Maharashtra. They were appointed on or after 6th September, 1988, after following the pre­scribed procedure laid down in the Maharashtra Sales Tax Officers Class-I (Recruit­ment) Rules, 1982 which came into force on October 14, 1982. Respondents 4 to 10 are the departmental promotees to the post of Sales Tax Officers Class-I who will be hereinafter referred to as “promotees”. The appellants seek to impinge the judgment and order dated June 7, 1997 passed by the Maha­rashtra Administrative Tribunal, Mumbai Bench, Mumbai (for short `the Tribunal’) on Original Applica­tion No. 126 of 1995 filed by them challenging the legality and cor­rectness of certain seniority lists published in 1991, 1993 and 1994. These seniority lists are in respect of Sales Tax Officers Class-I comprising of promotees and direct recruits.

3. The Sales Tax Department is an important department which is en­trusted with the work of revenue collection of the Government of Maharashtra. The Sales Tax Department is headed by the Commissioner of Sales Tax as the Princi