Judgment

SEN, J.:- In this appeal by special leave, the short question involved is whether respondents Nos. 1 and 2 were entitled to the, benefit of the period of service rendered by them as Temporary Engineers on an ad hoc basis in the Irrigation Branch of the Public Works Department, State of Haryana i.e. prior to their appointment as Assistant Engineers on regular basis on April 21, 1975 along with the six appellants and respondents Nos. 5-24 for purposes of reckoning their eligibility for promotion to the post of Executive Engineer under R. 6(b) read with the Explanation thereto of the Haryana Service of Engineers, Class I, Public Works Department (Irrigation Branch) Rules, 1964, as amended in 1975, (Class I Rules for short) as also for purposes of their seniority in the cadre of Assistant Engineers. 2. Facts bearing on the question are as follows. In response to an advertisement published in the Daily Tribune of February, 6, 1970 inviting applications for appointment as Temporary Engineers on an ad, hoc basis, respondent No. 1 B. S. Jain was appointed as a Temporary Engineer (ad hoc) w.e.f. January 2, 1971 for a period of six months i.e. after the coming into force of the Harya