JUDGMENT

S.B. Sinha, J. —

1. Leave granted.

2. Interpretation of GOMs. No.368 dated 18.8.1999 is in question in these appeals which arise out of a judgment and order dated 21.8.2006 passed by a Division Bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court in Writ Petition Nos.8551/01, 14651/2000 and 16842/2000.

3. Respondents herein were Private Secretaries (PSs) of the Secretaries of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Appellants of the Civil Appeal arising out of SLP (C) No.10137 of 2007 are the Section Officers (SOs) working in the Secretariat of the Government of Andhra Pradesh.

4. Indisputably, the post of ‘Private Secretary’ (PS) as also that of the ‘Section Officer’ (SO) are the feeder posts for promotion to the post of Assistant Secretary.

The total number of posts in the cadre of Sections Officers was 365. Indisputably, 10 PSs attached to the Secretaries of the Government of Andhra Pradesh have to undergo training for a period of two years as a SO. The number of PSs at a given point of time was 25. The promotional channel to the post of Assistant Secretaries was the SO.

5. By reason of GOMs No.1059 dated 15.7.1960, the State issued a notification providing for promotion to the post of