1. The petitioner was an Assistant Executive Engineer of the Cochin Shipyard Ltd., a company registered under the Companies Act. Under schemes of technical exchange, the Government of India was sponsoring candidates for employment in foreign countries. On 19-11-1977 the Central Government wrote Ext. P1 letter to the company about possibilities of utilising the services of its engineers in assignments abroad, suggesting that interested personnel register their names for inclusion in appropriate panels. The petitioner applied for registration, and his application was forwarded by the company. He was selected for employment under the Government of Iraq in its Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reforms. On 17-7-1980 the Central Government advised the company as per Ext. P3 letter to release the petitioner, grant him a no-objection certificate, and treat him "as on deputation to a foreign government in the public interest, with lien retained in the post held by him". But on 19-7-1980 another employee of the company similarly selected for service abroad was informed that he would have to resign from the company's services, if he was to take up the foreign assignment Apprehe