( 1 ) THROUGH this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution, retired Principals of law colleges in the State of Gujarat in the evening of their life, have been knocking the doors of this Court for the last eight years for claiming the benefits of the pension scheme.

( 2 ) THE petition was filed by seven retired Principals of Law Colleges. One of them (petitioner No. 1) has already expired during pendency of the petition, and his heirs have not come forward for being brought on record, since the Court is informed, they have migrated to another country. The petition, is therefore, pursued by the remaining six petitioners whose service particulars are as under :-

( 21 ) WHETHER the petition deserves to be dismissed on the ground of delay.

( 22 ) AS regards the preliminary objection raised by the learned A. G. P. , about delay in filing the petition, it is pointed out on behalf of the petitioners that the petitioners through their Association called "the Gujarat State Law teachers Association" were agitating the issue before the State Government through a number of representations submitted orally as well as in writing to the State Government and the petitioners wer