Judgment

VENKATARAMIAH, J. :- In the above writ petitions filed under Art. 32 of the Constitution the petitioners have questioned. the constitutional validity of the Andhra Pradesh Abolition of Posts of Part-Time Village Officers Ordinance, 1984 (Ordinance No. 1 of 1984) (hereinafter referred to as the Ordinance) promulgated by the Governor of Andhra Pradesh on January 6,1984 in exercise of his powers under Art. 213 of the Constitution by which the posts of part-time Village Officers in the State of Andhra Pradesh came to be abolished and provision was made for the appointment of Village Assistants. Some of the petitions which are disposed of by this judgment had been filed before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh under Art. 226 of the Constitution for similar reliefs. They were withdrawn to this Court under Art. 139A of the Constitution for hearing them along with the petitions filed under Art. 32.

2. Section 2(d) of the Ordinance defined the expression part-time village officer as a person who held any of the village offices of headman, munsiff, reddy, monigar, peddakapu, patel, Karnam or patwari or triune officer or holder of any such village office by whatever designation it may b