( 1 ) HEARD Sri Nooty Rama Mohana Rao, learned counsel for the petitioner, sri V. T. Gopalan, Additional Solicitor general for India instructed by sri B. Naraslmha Sharma, learned additional Central Government Standing counsel for the 1st respondent, the learned government Pleader for Services-I for the 2nd respondent and Sri Madhav Pannikar, advocate for Sri Bhaskar Poluri for the 4th respondent.

( 2 ) THE substantive grievance of the petitioner is as regards his allocation to the manipur-Tripura Joint Cadre of the Indian police Service. Urging the said grievance, in particular on the ground that his allocation to the Manipur-Tripura Joint Cadre while allocating the 4th respondent to the AP cadre is illegal, the petitioner filed OA no. 155 of 2001 before the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT ). By the order dated 9-1-2004 the OA was dismissed. The said order is assailed in this writ petition. CHRONOLOGY OF FACTS, IN BRIEF:- (A) The petitioner and the 4th respondent appeared for the Civil services Examination 1998 (CSE 1998) conducted by the UPSC. The 4th respondent belongs to Other backward Classes (OBC) category. While the petitioner secured