Judgment

SAWANT, J.- These matters have a chequered history. The appellants as well as most of the contesting respondents were appointed as Junior Engineers in the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Subordinate Service on emergency basis between 1959 and 1963. While they were in service on April 24, 1963, the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission") invited applications for regular appointment by direct recruitment to 246 posts of Junior Engineers and on December 21, 1963, the Commission forwarded a list of selected candidates to the State Government. This list was, however, not arranged according to merits and therefore according to seniority inter se among the candidates. On April 15, 1964, the Commission forwarded to the government the list of selected candidates arranging their names according to merits and seniority and after complying with the reservation prescribed by Rule 22(ii)(c) of the Andhra Pradesh State and Subordinate Service Rules (hereinafter referred to as the "Rules") by which the relevant service was governed. On August 11,1964, the State Government amended the said Rules by deleting the said Rule 22 (ii)(c)with retrospectiv