JUDGMENT

WITH

Civil Appeal Nos. 4411/2005, 5370/2005, 5372/2005, 5939/2005, 6145/2005,

3037/2006, 2596/2006, 917/2006, 919/2006, 920/2006, 1494/2006, 1495/2006,

3389/2006, 4572/2006, 5157/2006, 3616/2006, 3911/2006, 3913/2006,

3615/2006, 3169/2006, 4738/2006, 5688/2006, 2907/2006, 3496/2006,

5860/2006, 165/2007, 683/2007, 431/2007, 991/2007, 248/2007, 1162/2007,

163/2007, 1636/2007, 1637/2007, 1529/2007, 1530/2007, 1532/2007, 1533/2007,

1266/2007, 1536/2007

Civil Appeal No. 2145 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.16085/2006,

Civil Appeal No. 2146 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.16752/2006,

Civil Appeal No. 2147 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.18239/2006,

Civil Appeal No. 2148 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.6633/2006,

Civil Appeal No. 2149 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.3513/2007,

Civil Appeal No. 2150 of 2007 arising out of S.L.P. (C)No.7911/2007

arising out of CC 10725-10726/2005

Kapadia, J.

Leave granted in special leave petitions. All the above civil appeals deal with a common

question of law and, therefore, they are decided together by this judgment. For the sake of convenience, the facts in C.A. No.4409 of 2005 are mentioned hereinbelow.

For the