Judgment

P.P. Naolekar, J.—Leave granted.

2. These three appeals have been preferred against the common order and final judgment dated 21.8.2002 passed by the High Court of Himachal Pradesh in Regular Second Appeal Nos. 13/97 14/97 and 103/97. The appeals arise on the following facts.

That respondent No. 3, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, is a Government of India Undertaking and respondent No. 2 is the Oil Selection Board. The respondent Nos. 2 and 3 and the Union of India had intended to open a retail outlet for the distribution of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) in Kangra town of the State of Himachal Pradesh and for that purpose it had invited applications for allotment of dealership/distributorship for LPG through notice published in the newspaper on 14.8.85. The notice of inviting dealership/distributorship rights provided for certain eligibility criteria, which the applicant should possess. The ­criteria provided that the applicant should be an unemployed graduate, resident of Kangra district, family income not more that Rs.24000/-, having no close relatives as a dealer or distributor of any oil company and the applicant also should not be a partner or having dealership or distribut