Judgment

J.S.VERMA, J.

(1) LEAVE granted.

(2) THESE appeals by special leave are by the State of Rajasthan and certain candidates whose promotions are adversely affected by the impugned judgment of the Rajasthan High court. The dispute in the writ petitions filed in the High court was between members of the Rajasthan Educational Service belonging to Group E and Group F pertaining to their rival claims for promotion to the posts of Principal, Higher Secondary School, which posts are in Group D, Section II of the Rajasthan Educational Service. The dispute between these two groups arises from the fact that in the Rajasthan Educational Service Rules, 1970 (hereinafter referred to as the Rules), the aforesaid two Groups E and F - are clubbed together - as the feeder cadre for promotion to Group D, Section 11, even though in the service hierarchy the lowest is Group F, above which is Group E and then comes Group D. In the writ petitions filed in the High court, the writ petitioners challenged the constitutional validity of this provision in the Rules clubbing together Group E and Group F for the purpose of promotion to Group D, Section II on the ground that un