( 1 ) THESE petitions under Article 226 of the Constitution of India raise a common question of law as to the interpretation of the expression "continuous service for not less than one year" occurring in S. 25 (F) of the industrial Disputes Act in the context of the termination of the petitioners services without complying the requirements of S. 25 (F) of the Act.

( 2 ) THE petitioners who are either members of the clerical or subordinate staff of the Central Bank of India, the respondent herein, were appointed for varying periods from time to time and on the expiry of one such period of service, they were not reappointed. Of these petitioners in W. P. Nos. 2547, 2551, 2556/76 are clerks belonging to the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The petitioners in W. P. Nos. 2548, 2549 ,2550, 2552, 2559, 2561, 2s63, 2564, 2636, 2638 and 3122 of 1976 also are all members of the clerical staff bat belong to the non-schduled castes and non-scheduled tribes. The petitioners in W. P. Nos. 2554, 2557, 2558, 2560, and 2562 and 2633/76 are members of the subordinate staff.

( 3 ) AS the question of law that is raised is common to all the writ petitions, suffice to mention th