Once again this court has before it a case where the two petitioners though granted promotions, after their retirement, from retrospective dates are denied any material benefits accruing from the promotions.

2. The facts are simple and without any controversy. These can be stated thus: A dispute on the question of seniority between the petitioners and other employees of the department came to this court in C.W.J.C. No. 2107/82. The matter was finally concluded by JUDGMENT : and ORDER :dated 9.3.1995 passed by a bench of this court in Letters Patent Appeals (L.P.A. Nos. 106, 108 and 117/88) arising from the JUDGMENT : and ORDER :passed in the aforesaid writ petition. The JUDGMENT : of the Division Bench was evidently in favour of the petitioners and on the basis of the directions given in that JUDGMENT : the petitioners' seniority was redetermined and consequently their ORDER :s of promotions were issued.

3. In the meanwhile the two petitioners retired from service, petitioner no. 1 on 31.1.1992 and petitioner no.2 on 31.1.1996; and it was after their retirement that the ORDER :s of their promotions were issued. By ORDER :dated 16.8.1996 (Annexure-2) the petitioners were promot