JUDGMENT :

Heard Mr. UK Nair, learned Senior counsel assisted by Mr. BS Sinha, learned counsel for the petitioners.

1. The grievances raised in this writ petition are under:

(i) The petitioners who were Class-II Officers of the Home Guard Services are aggrieved by the action on the part of the respondent authorities down grading their scale of pay in comparison to their counterparts in APS Juniors Grade Officers under the Government of Assam.

(ii) According to the petitioners, Class-II cadre in the Home Guard Service comprises of post of Assistant Commandant of Industrial Security Force and Assam Special Reserve Force, District Home Guard Commandant and Centre Commandant of District Home Guard Training Centre. According to the petitioners, their counter part and equivalent in Assam Police is the cadre of APS Junior Grade which comprises of post of Assistant Commandant of Battalion, Deputy Superintendent of Police.

(iii) It is the case of the petitioners that since the inception of the two services there has been equality with regard to the status, rank and scale of pay between the aforesaid posts in two cadres. According to the petitioners, both cadres are performing duties and responsi