( 1 ) THIS is a petition by three vaccinators who had joined the Government service in the year 1962 as vaccinators in the National Small-pox Eradication Programme implemented by the State of Gujarat through its department of Health. The respondent No. 2 the Director of Health Services was the head-officer of the said department. That scheme sponsored and financed by the Central Government was executed by the State Government as its own machinery. When the petitioners and the others were on the State-wise cadre of vaccinators the Government used to impart training to them in the course of sanitary inspectors so that they would be eligible for further promotion as sub-sanitary inspectors sanitary inspectors and senior sanitary inspectors. As the petitioners say this was the consistent policy uniformly adopted by the State Government. The persons sent up for training in the Government Training Centers were sent up strictly according to seniority. In the year 1966 these health services came to be allocated to different District Panchayats. with the result that the different vaccinators came to be allocated to different Panchayats. These three petitioners had come to be