(1) LEAVE granted in Special Leave Petitions (C) Nos. 14845-46 and 16161-63 of 1998.

(2) HEARD learned counsel for both sides.

(3) IN these matters, the High Court has taken the view that the writ petitioners who have approached them have proved that they are Christians and that they are entitled to be considered for admission in the educational institutions maintained by the appellants for Diploma in Education (DEd course). The writ petitioners had admittedly produced school-leaving certificates only before the appellant Institution when they applied for admission. According to the school-leaving certificates they belong to a Scheduled Caste "Hindu-Mahar". They did not produce any other document before the management to show that they are Christians as claimed by them. But in the High Court, they filed certain documents which are said to be school-leaving certificates of their respective fathers and their baptism certificates. These documents were admittedly not produced before the Management of the educational institutions. Based on the documents produced before the High Court, the latter took the view that the writ petitioners had established that they wer