N.C. SHARMA, J.—This common order will dispose of the preliminary objection as to the maintainability of the above writ petitions filed in this Court by Shri Vivek Prakash Mathur, Shri M. L. Chaurasia and Shri Richpal Singh raised on behalf of the respondents. All these five writ petitions relate to matters concerning promotion to the posts of Superintending Engineers and Chief Engineer in the same Department of the Government of Rajasthan, namely, the Ground-Water Department, Jodhpur. Previously all the three petitioners were holding the posts of Executive Engineers in the Ground Water Department. Rules regulating the recruitment and conditions of service pertaining to the Ground Water Department under the proviso to Article 309 of the Constitution and known as Rajasthan Ground Water Board Service Rules, 1969 were framed by the Governor and promulgated in that year. Prior to 1.11. 1973, the position of Rules regarding promotion to the post of Superintending Engineer was that an appointment to this post in the service was to be made by selection strictly on the basis of merit and on the basis of seniority-cum-merit in the proportion of 1:2. This criteria of promotion was altered by

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