RAJIV SAHAI ENDLAW, J.

1. These eight writ petitions entail common questions of law & fact and are being listed together. WP(C) No.2521/1988 is the main petition of the MCD challenging / impugning the award dated 13th May, 1988 of the Industrial Tribunal. The other petitions are offshoots of the said award.

2. The award impugned in WP(C) No.2521/1988 was made on the following reference: "Whether all those "B" Grade Staff Nurses and Auxiliary Nurses, Midwives, who have completed three years services and are posted against the post of "A" grade staff nurse should be promoted to "A" grade staff nurse with retrospective effect, and, if so, what directions are necessary? Whether anomaly in the pay scales of "B" grade staff nurse and auxiliary Midwives or nurses be removed with retrospective effect i.e. from 01.01.1973 and if so what further directions are necessary?"

3. It was the claim of the workmen before the Industrial Tribunal that:

(i) The petitioner MCD has been running a large number of medical institutions.

(ii) In the said medical institutions, the petitioner MCD had created two types of staff nurses namely Grade "A" Staff Nurses and Grade "B" Staff Nurses; a third c