JUDGMENT :

1. Heard Mr. S.N. Sarma, learned senior advocate, assisted by Mr. J.P. Kachari, the learned advocate for the petitioners. Also heard Mr. B.D. Das, learned Senior Advocate, assisted by Ms. J. Rongpi, the learned advocate for the Assam Power Distribution Co. Ltd. (APDCL for short), i.e. respondents No.1 to 5 and Mr. S.M. Baruah, the learned advocate for the private respondents No. 6 to 9.

2. By this writ petition filed under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the 12 petitioners herein have projected that the petitioners No.1 to 10 were persons from OBC category, petitioner No. 11 belonged from the Schedule Caste category and the petitioner No.12 was a person from the General category. Since the year 2008, the petitioners were engaged by the APDCL as casual labourers and/or outsourced Sahayak for maintenance of L.T. and H.T. line and other works under the Gaurisagar Electrical Sub Division and Sivasagar Electrical Sub Division. By advertisement in newspapers, the APDCL invited applications for filling up 1064 posts of Trainee Sahayak as per criteria and qualifications as mentioned therein. One of the conditions mentioned in the employment advertisement, which appears t