1. Appellants in Letters Patent Appeal Nos 15/2005; 16/2005; 24/2005; 29/2005; 30/2005 31/2005; and 36/2005; are the selectees for the post of Assistant Surgeons in the Health Department of the Jammu and Kashmir State. LPA (SW) No. 37/ 2005 has been preferred by the J&K Public Service Commission.

2. All these appeals are directed against judgment dated 23-12-2004 passed in batch of writ petitions whereby selection for the post of Assistant Surgeons made by the Public Service Commission on the requisition of Health and Medical Education Department has been set aside by the learned Single Judge.

3. It is relevant to notice the resume of the facts as emerge from the impugned judgment and the pleadings of the parties before the writ court/ us.

4. 31 posts of Assistant Surgeons were referred to the J&K Public Service Commission (hereinafter called the Commission) by the Health and Medical Education Department vide its requisition No. HT(GAD)131/95 dated 11-12-2002. This was followed by another communication No. HS(GAD) 131/95 dated 20-1-2003 whereby 190 more posts of Assistant Surgeons were referred to the Commission. Three posts in the open category were already pendin