1. There is a single petitioner in each of these three writ petitions. All the three petitioners have a common grievance against the Bihar State Housing Board and they seek the same relief under the same set of facts and circumstances. Hence, these three writ petitions were heard together and are being disposed of by a common order.

2. On 23.2.1981 the Bihar State Housing Board (hereinafter referred to as the Board) issued a notice in the daily newspapers. In that notice the Board made certain announcements in connection with allotment of plot/flat at Digha and Sheikhpura in the town of Patna on hire-cum-purchase basis to persons registered with the Housing Department/Housing Board. In Clause 3 of the notice it was stated that suitable land (s) was being taken in acquisition and the acquisition and development of land and the completion of construction work on the developed land was likely to take four years. In Clause 4, the allottees were classified into four groups. The Middle income Group, with which we are concerned in these three writ petitions, comprised people with annua) income ranging from Rs. 7201 to Rs. 18,000/-. The notice further stipulated that for making an