1. These petitions are by three employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board and they pray for the issue of writs of certiorari quashing certain decisions of the Respondent; the State of Travancore-Cochin, declaring that the petitioners and other servants of the Devaswom Board are not servants of the State Government and also for writs of Mandamus calling upon the Respondent to restore the petitioners to their original status as Government servants. The orders sought to be quashed were passed on 18-8-1955" and 13-12-1955 O.P. No. 67 was filed before the later order was passed and therefore, the only order sought to be quashed in that petition is that dated 18-8-1955. The three petitions were heard together.

2. The material averments in the three petitions may be stated as follows: After the assumption of Devaswom by the Maharaja of Travancore in the year 987 M. E. (1811 A. D.) in exercise of his sovereign rights, the Devaswoms were administered by the Revenue Department of the State till the year 1097 M. E. (1922 A, D.) when the Maharaja promulgated the Devaswom Proclamation of 1097 constituting a separate Department of the Government for the administration of Devaswoms. T