JUDGMENT

B.C. Ray, J. - These two appeals by special leave one by the Punjab State Electricity Board, Patiala and the other by Gurdial Singh and others who were defendant-respondents 3, 4, 6 and 7 in Civil Suit No. 293T/16-1-181/17-7-80 passed in R.S.A. No. 254/38 whereby the judgments and the decrees of the courts below were affirmed decreeing the plaintiff-respondents suit declaring that the plaintiff-respondent be deemed to have been promoted from the date when his juniors as mentioned in the suit were promoted to the posts of Line Superintendents.

2. The case of the plaintiff in short is that the plaintiff-respondent Ravinder Kumar Sharma joined the service under respondent 1, Punjab State Electricity Board as a Lineman on December 25, 1969 and he worked as apprentice Lineman from December 29, 1969 to December 28, 1970 on a fixed salary of Rs. 140 per month. Thereafter he was allowed regular scale of pay of Rs. 110-330 since the date of his joining as a Lineman. The terms and conditions of the service of the Linemen as well as of the Line Superintendent are governed by the rules framed by the Punjab Government in exercise of its powers under Article 309 of the Constitution of I