( 1 ) AS both these petitions are connected with each other and have been ordered to be tagged for final hearing, are being disposed of by this common judgment. The first petition being Special Civil Application no. 6663 of 1985 has been filed by the petitioners belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and for quashing and setting aside the appointment of respondent nos. 2 and 3 as Senior Officers in the respondent no. 1 Corporation and for a direction to the respondent no. 1 Corporation to appoint the petitioners in their place with retrospective date of appointment with all benefits including pay etc. as if the petitioners have been appointed instead of respondent nos. 2 and 3. Alternatively, to quash and set aside the oral test/interviews held on 2. 10. 1985 for the recruitment to the post of Senior Officer, now re-designated as Assistant Manager and to direct GIDC to hold fresh oral test.

( 2 ) BRIEF facts of the petition in petition being Special Civil Application no. 6663 of 1985 are that the petitioner no. 1 is a member of Scheduled Tribe and is entitled to be given preference as a member of the Scheduled Tribe. The petitioner no. 2 is also a member of Scheduled Caste and he is also entitled for similar preference. Both the petitioners are qualified to be appointed as Senior Officers. Both the petitioners fulfil the requirements regarding qualification, written test for the Senior Officers in the case of direct recruitment. The respondent Corporation vide its advertisement in the local newspaper Gujarat Samachar dated 6. 4. 1983 invited applications for the recruitment for the post of Senior Officers. The petitioners were called for preliminary written test which was held by the respondent Corporation on 17. 6. 1984 and both the petitioners appeared in the written test. 12 persons including the petitioner no. 1 was initially selected for oral interviews which were to be held on 8th November, 1984. The petitioners gathered information that the petitioner no. 1 had obtained 55 marks in the written test out of 100 marks, whereas the petitioner no. 2 obtained 51 marks in the written test. The petitioner no. 1 was informed for the interview which was scheduled to be held on 8. 11. 1984. By a letter dated 1. 5. 1985 the petitioner was informed that oral interviews were postponed an the next date was to be fixed. Lateron, the petitioners came to know that the said interviews which were scheduled to be held on 7/8. 11. 1984 were postponed at the instance of the Union. The petitioner no. 1 was informed by a letter dated 17. 9. 1985 that oral interviews were scheduled to be held on 28th September, 1985. The petitioner no. 2 was also informed by a similar letter dated 17. 9. 1985. The responent no. 2 was also called for oral interview on 28th September, 1985. The petitioners also got the information that initially on 8. 11. 1984, only 12 persons were called for interviews. Thereafter, the number of candidates for interviews were malafide increased to 23. On 28th September, 1985, number of candidates called for interview were raised from 23 to 24. Ultimately, oral interviews were held on 2. 10. 1985 after about one year and the number of candidates called for interview was increased from 23 to 24. The petitioners were tested in the inteview for about 5 to 10 minutes. Several general questions were asked and the petitioners replied satisfactorily all questions. The petitioners inteviews were conducted by four persons, namely Shri I. M. Balchandani, Corporate Personnel Manager; Shri M. M. Shah, Chief Accounts Officer; Shri H. B. Shah, Chief Engineer and Shri Hasmukh Vora, Board Member. Shri Basu had also joined the interview committee. Some candidates were also interviewed by the Board and some were interviewed by the members. When the petitioners were waiting outside for the interview, some senior office bearer of the employees Union had come there few minutes before the interviews had begun and he had whis