1. These three writ petitions challenge the action of the Chief Justice of this Court in cancelling a prior order dated 3-7-1971, on the basis of which promotions were effected in a certain category of the High Court Staff from 1-7-1968. It was ordered that the cancellation was to be given effect to only from the Chief Justice's decision to cancel, viz. 7-9-1974 and not from 1-7-1968 from which date the cancelled order took effect. This is the grievance of the petitioners. The writ petitions will be dealt with seriatim. The facts will be noticed in detail in O. P. 340 of 1976, and supplemented, if necessary, with the additional facts, where present, in the other two writ petitions.

2.O.P. No. 340 of 1976.

The petitioner in this writ petition, an Assistant Grade I in the High Court Services, was a lower division clerk (or an Assistant Grade H as it was redesignated) prior to 1-7-1968, a material date for purposes of all the three writ petitions. Respondents S to 8 are also Assistants Gr. I. By a G. O. dated 9-10-1969 the Government re-fixed the ratio between Upper Division Clerks and Lower Division Clerks. By another G. 0. they also accepted the recommendations of the Pay-