JUDGMENT :

Arup Kumar Goswami, J.

1. In this batch of writ petitions, primarily, the pleadings in WPC No. 591/2012 and WPC No. 1067/2012 are relied upon by the learned counsel for the parties and therefore, while disposing of these petitions, essentially, reference would be made to the pleadings in the aforesaid writ petitions. Of course, whenever necessary, reference to the pleadings made in other writ petitions would be made as well.

2. At the very outset, nevertheless, a brief reference to the writ petitions as well as prayers made therein would be in order.

3. WPC No. 591/2012 is filed by a registered society espousing the cause of the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. In the writ petition, following prayers are made:

“1. Quash amendment No. 368/D.19/21-A/PRA/CHH.G./12, dated 18.01.2012 whereby Section 4(2)(i) of Chhattisgarh Public Service (Reservation for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe & Other Backward Classes) Act, 1994 has been amended (Chhattisgarh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatiyon Aur Anya Pichere Wargo Ke Liye Aarakshan) Adhiniyam, 1994) and declare the same as unconstitutional and ultra vires.

Or

2. Issue an appropriate writ and declare the Chhattisgarh Lok Seva (Anusuchit Jatiyon, Anusuchit Jan Jatiyon Aur Anya Pichere Wargon Ke Liye Aarakshan) Sanshodhan Adhiniyam, 2011 (Act of 2011) as ultra vires and unconstitutional.

3. Any other relief(s) which may deem fit, looking to the facts and circumstances of the case, may be given by this Hon’ble Court.”

4. We will revert back to the pleadings in WPC No. 591/2012 in detail after we briefly take note of the salient facts in each of the other writ petitions.

5. In WPC No. 592/2012, the petitioners belong to SC community and they are social activists. Identical prayers, as made in WPC No. 591/2012, are made. The return filed by the State relies on the return filed in WPC No. 591/2012.

6. In WPC No. 593/2012, the petitioner is a registered society working for upliftment of the SC community. In this petition, the notification dated 18.01.2012, as elaborated in the prayer of WPC No.591/2012, is challenged. The return filed by the State in this case relies on the return filed in WPC No. 591/2012.

7. In WPC No. 594/2012, the petitioners belong to SC community. While petitioner Nos. 1 and 2 are social activists, petitioners No. 3 and 4 are aspiring for recruitment to the services of the State. In WPC No. 652/2012, the petitioners belong to to SC community. Petitioner No. 1 is aged about 45 years and petitioner No. 2 aged about 73 years. In WPC No. 653/2012, the petitioner belongs to SC category. In WPC No. 936/2012, the petitioner belongs to SC community. In WPC No. 2072/2014, the petitioners belong to the unreserved category. In these petitions, prayers, as made in WPC No. 593/2012, are made. The return filed by the State in in WPC No. 591/2012 are relied on in WPC No. 594/2012, WPC No. 652/2012, WPC No. 653/2012 and WPC No. 936/2012. Though an independent return has been filed in WPC No. 2072/2014, in this return, essentially, the averments made in the return and the additional returns filed by the State in WPC No. 591/2012 are incorporated.

8. In WPS No. 4240/2014, petitioner is Chhattisgarh Anusuchit Jati/Janjati Chhatra Sangathan (Student Union). Prayer is made to quash advertisement issued in the month of July, 2014 by the Commissioner, Tribal and Scheduled Caste Welfare, Raipur, for the recruitment to 800 posts of Hostel Superintendent, Group-D. By the aforesaid advertisement, 96 posts for SCs, 256 posts for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and and 112 posts for Other Backward Classes (OBC) were reserved. Similar return as filed in WPC No. 591/2012 is filed in this case.

9. In WPS No. 5578/2012, the three petitioners are graduates from commerce stream and they had also obtained MBA degree. They had been appointed on contractual basis in the post of Assistant Manager vide