Judgment :-

Aftab Alam, J.

1. I.A. No.1 of 2007 is allowed and Sanjib Das who was arrayed in SLP (C) No.12129/2006 as one of the respondents is permitted to be transposed as a petitioner. Consequently, the number of petitioners in that case becomes eight. Apart from the eight petitioners in SLP(C) No.12129/2006 there are two each in SLP(C) No. 12766 of 2006 and SLP (C) No.17979 of 2006 and two more in

I.A. No.5/2009 filed in SLP (C) No. 17979/2006.

2. Leave granted in all the SLPs.

3. The three appeals are directed against the judgment and order dated May 17, 2006 passed by a full bench of the Guwahati High Court disposing of a large group of writ petitions. The appellants, however, are aggrieved by the decision only in so far as it found and held that the selections made for filling up the vacancies in the posts of Lower Division Assistant (LDA) were bad and the select list, dated June 24, 2003 was illegal and consequently set it aside.

4. The controversy relates to appointments to the vacant posts of Lower Division Assistants in the Transport Department, Government of Assam for which the concerned authorities, following a selection process, prepared the select list dated June 24,