Judgment

WANCHOO, J.

( 1 ) THESE appeals and writ petitions raise common questions and will be dealt with together. The appeals arise out of six writ petitions filed in the Mysore High Court and six of the writ petitions filed in this Court are by the same petitioners who applied in the Mysore High Court. Two writ petitions (Nos. 173 and 174) have been filed by two others. They also filed writ petitions in the High Court, though they have not filed appeals from the decision of the High Court. They will all be referred to as petitioners hereafter.

( 2 ) THE case before the High Court was briefly this. All the petitioners were appointed Sub-Inspectors in the former Hyderabad State, under S. 6 of the Hyderabad District Police Act (No. X of 1329 (Fasli ). Under R. 399 of the Hyderabad District Police Manual, issued by the Government of Hyderabad under S. 10 of the Hyderabad District Police Act, posts of Circle-Inspectors were to be filled by promotion from the rank of Sub-Inspectors. The subsequent Rules provided for the procedure for this purpose. The names of selected Sub-Inspectors who were considered fit for promotion were sent by the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police and the Commi