JUDGMENT

Bisheshwar Prasad Singh. J.-These appeals by special leave have been preferred by the State Bank of India and are directed against the judgment and order of the High Court of Karnataka at Bangalore dated 8th June, 1999 in Writ Appeal Nos. 2266-69 of 1999 whereby the appeals preferred by the appellant-Bank were dismissed and the order of the learned Single Judge upheld. By the impugned judgment the High Court held that the claim of officers under specialist cadre for grant of benefit of higher starting pay as was given to the Rural Development Officers, required consideration. The Court, therefore, directed the Bank to consider the matter keeping in view the duties and responsibilities of the writ petitioners (respondents herein) which were comparable with the duties and responsibilities of the Rural Development Officers (for short RDOs).

2. A few facts which are not in dispute may be noticed.

3. In the State Bank of India officers are classified and categorized under four grades-the Top Executive Grade, the Senior Management Grade, the Middle Management Grade and the Junior Management Grade. In the instant case we are concerned with the officers who belong to the Junior Mana