Ranjan Gogoi, J.

1. The petitioners in this group of cases except in WP(C) No. 6619/03, 3634/01 and 4794/2000, are teachers of different L.P. Schools, M.E/M.V., High and Higher Secondary Schools of the State of Assam, who were appointed by the managing Committee prior to taking over of the schools under the provisions of the Assam, Elementary Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1974 and the Assam Secondary Education (Provincialisation) Act, 1977. On such take over being effected, the services of the petitioners have not been provincialised. They, therefore, claim to be "dropped teachers". The petitioners in the 3 other writ petitions mentioned above, are similarly situated members of the non-teaching staff of the schools in question. The relief of regularisation of services is the essence of the relief claimed in the present bench of cases that have been grouped together.

2. In view of the common thread that is discernible in each of the cases which give rise to a distinctly identifiable common question of law, it will hardly be necessary to traverse the factual matrix in each of the cases except to put on record that all the petitioners claim long years of service rendered ei