JUDGMENT

AHMADI, J.:—Special leave granted in S.L.P. (C) Nos. 8312/88, 5878-87 and 2592/89.

2. The controversy, which we are called upon to decide in this batch of appeals, relates to the determination of seniority between the appellants who entered service in the various engineering departments of the State initially as Supervisors and who on acquiring a degree in engineering were re-designated Junior Engineers and those graduate Junior Engineers who were temporarily appointed on ad hoc basis under Rule 10(a)(i)(1) of the Andhra Pradesh State and Subordinate Service Rules (hereinafter called the General Rules) and whose services were later regularised under GOMs No. 647 dated September 14, 1979.

3. The factual matrix relevant for resolving the conflict may be briefly stated. The respondents Nos.3 to 43 herein were the original petitioners in the group of petitions disposed of by the State Administrative Tribunal, Hyderabad, by its common judgment dated August 7, 1984 which is impugned in these appeals. They were recruited directly by the Government and not the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (PSC) within whose purview the said post of Junior Engineers fell as there was a ba