( 1 ) THIS Rule involves a dispute between two sections of the subordinate employees in the office of the Director-General of Ordnance Factories, represented by two Unions.

( 2 ) THE Petitioner is the Employees' Association which represents employees other than stenographers. The "stenographers' Association" has been added as Respondent No. 3 at their intervention. Respondent No. 1 is the Union of India and Respondent No. 2 is the Director-General of Ordnance Factories.

( 3 ) ACCORDING to the Petitioner Association, the Stenographers are outside the clerical cadre: that there is no Rule authorising the promotion of Stenographers to the grade of Assistants and that the Stenographers had no higher prospects in their career. Administratively, however. Respondents reserved a post of Assistant-in-Charge to be filled up from the cadre of Stenographers of Grade 13 and on the protest of the Petitioner. Respondent No. 2 stated that it was only a "non-recurring measure" (Annexure A) which had been adopted "to remove from the minds of the Stenographers the sense of frustration which they were suffering from for not having any scope of advancement".

( 4 ) SINCE 1962, the Respon