JUDGMENT

Thakker, J.-Leave granted in Special Leave Petition (Civil) Nos. 22648 of 2002 and 23615-23616 of 2002.

2. In the present group of matters, common questions of fact and law have been raised by the parties. It is, therefore, appropriate to decide all the matters by a common judgment.

3. To appreciate the controversy raised and questions agitated in these matters, few relevant facts in the first matter, i.e., Civil Appeal No. 5327 of 2002 may be stated. The appeal arises out of a judgment and order dated May 14, 2002 passed by the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Jabalpur in Writ Petition No. 3531 of 2001.

4. The said petition was filed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court Bar Association and another against the Union of India, State of Madhya Pradesh, State of Chhattisgarh and the Chief Ministers of both the States. The case of the petitioners is that the petitioner No.1 is an Association of Advocates practising at the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh State Administrative Tribunal at Jabalpur as also Central Administrative Tribunal (Jabalpur Bench). The Association was constituted to look after and protect the interests of its members. One of the prime duties of the Asso