JUDGMENT

A. VARADARAJAN, J.:—These appeals by special leave are by the Punjab University and directed against two Division Bench judgments of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in Writ Petitions 1917 of 1980 and 2349 of 1980, allowing those writ petitions without any order as to costs. W. P. 2349 of 1980 was allowed at the motion stage on 18-7-1980 as being covered by the decision in W. P. 1917 of 1980 which was disposed of on 7-7-1980. Kulwant Singh Tiwana, J. is a party to both the judgments and he sat with Harbans Lal, J. for hearing W. P. 1917 of 1980 and with M. M. Punchi, J. for hearing W. P. 2349 of 1980. In these circumstances, it is necessary to state only the facts relating to W. P. 1917 of 1980 alone briefly.

2. The system known as "10 plus 2 plus 3 system" was introduced in the educational institutions in the country some years ago. The Association of Indian Universities decided the equivalence of this 10 + 2 + 3 system with the old 11 + 3 years degree course system which was prevalent in some States and it suggested that in all States where the pattern of education is such as to require 14 years for the first degree i. e. 11 + 3 years, the new plus 2 stage of the Central