The two petitioners involved in this two writ petitions are aspirants for promotion to the posts of Assistant Professor in the respec­tive departments in the Regional Dental Col­lege (RDC). Presently they are holding the posts of Demonstrator/Resident Surgeon. They are aggrieved by application of the par­ticular requirement for promotion to the post of Assistant Professor, which according to them is not applicable in respect of the posts to which they have claimed promotion. Be it stated here that the petitioner in WP(C) No. 2276/2010 is working in the Department of Prosthodontics, while the petitioner in WP(C) No. 2278/2010 is working in the Department of Orthodontics. Since the issue raised and the basic facts involved in both the writ peti­tions are one and the same, they are being heard analogously and are being disposed of by this common judgment and order. The writ petition being WP(C) No. 2276/2010 hav­ing been exclusively referred to by the learned counsel for the parties to bring home their point of argument, the said writ petition has been taken as the base case.

2. While the petitioner in WP(C) No. 2276/2010 was appointed with effect from 5.9.1989 pursua