JUDGMENT

RANGANATH MISRA, J. :- Petitioners are employees under the State Insurance Corporation, respondent No. 1. According to the notification. dated 22nd of April, 1977 issued in exercise of powers conferred by S. 97(1), (1, 2) (xxx), S. 2A and S. 17(2) of the Employees State Insurance Act, 1948, (hereinafter referred to as the Act) which came by way of supersession of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (Recruitment) Regulations, 1965, the post of Insurance Inspector/ Manager Grade II was treated partly as selection and partly as non-selection. There was no age limit for departmental candidates and two-thirds of the vacancies were to be filled by promotion and one-third by competitive examination under the Rules. By advertisement dated 6th August, 1983, applications were invited for filling up the one third vacancies by direct recruitment to the category of post of Insurance Inspector/ Manager Grade II. The petitioners in this application under Art. 32 of the Constitution responded to the said advertisement and were in due course declared as successful in the test. In consideration of the fact that a good number of vacancies were then existing and in anticipation of the po