JUDGMENT

V. Gopala Gowda, J.

1. Leave granted in SLP (C) No. 30798 of 2008.

2. These appeals have been filed by the Appellants against the common judgment and order dated 24.03.2008 passed in Civil Writ Petition No. 5909 CAT of 2003 and Civil Writ Petition No. 7754 CAT of 2004, by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh, whereby the High Court set aside the common order dated 12.3.2003 passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (in short "CAT"), Chandigarh, urging various grounds in support of the same.

3. As both the matters are identical, for the sake of brevity and convenience, we would deal with the facts of Civil Appeal No. 2325 of 2009, which are stated hereunder.

The Respondent-Union Territory of Chandigarh, had invited applications from eligible persons for recruitment to the post of Constables in the year 1997. The said selection was quashed by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. However, in the year 2001, A fresh selection process was started by the Respondents, as per the decision of the Administration of the first Respondent wherein it has stated that the candidates who had applied in response to the previous advertisement (in 1997), were exempted from applyi