Judgment

DAS GUPTA, J. The petitioners who describe themselves as Road-side Station Masters challenge in this petition under Art. 32 of the Constitution the constitutionality of the channel of promotion for Guards to higher grade Station Masters posts as notified in the issue of the Central Railway Weekly Gazette No. 3 dated 23-11-1951. Under this Notification Guards have two lines of promotion open to them. One is that by promotion, C grade Guards may become B grade Guards on Rs. 100-185 and thereafter by further promotion A grade Guards on Rs. 150-225. The second line of promotion open to them is that by an examination described curiously enough as Slip 45 examination C grade Guards are eligible for promotion to posts of Station Masters on Rs. 150-225 scale and thereafter to all the further promotions that are open to the Station Masters viz. higher scale of Rs. 200 to Rs. 300, Rs. 260 to Rs. 350, Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 and finally Rs. 360 to Rs. 500 ; B grade Guards and A grade Guards are also on passing Slip 45 examination eligible for promotion to posts of Station Masters on Rs. 200-300 pay scale and thereafter to further promotions to the higher scale in the Station Masters line