JUDGMENT

FAZAL ALI, J. :—These two appeals by special leave are directed against a judgment dated January 31, 1977, of the Allahabad High Court by which the High Court accepted the writ petitions filed by the present respondents 1 to 12 and quashed the order dated December 31, 1971, of the Government of U. P. in so far as it related to respondents numbers 2 to 12 and 14 to 39 before the High Court. The High Court further directed the State to redetermine the seniority of the regular PMS II Officers and the temporary PMS I Officers in the light of the observations made and the findings given by the High Court.

2. Against the order of the High Court two appeals have been filed to this Court - one by the State of Uttar Pradesh (which is Civil Appeal No, 2870 of 1977) and the other by the appellants 1 to 8 (Civil Appeal No. 2869 of 1977) who were respondents numbers 3 and 33 to 39 before the High Court. For the purpose of brevity and to avoid confusion we would refer to respondents 1 to 12 before the High Court as the petitioners and respondents numbers 3 and 33 to 39 before the High Court as the appellants.

3. The main controversy between the parties centered round fixation of their sen