Since all these writ petitions are filed challenging the Notification No. VI/(2)/206/94 dated 29-8-1994 issued by the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine-cum-State Food (Health) Authority, more or less on similar facts and pleadings, and the counter affidavits filed by the respondents also are similar, these writ petitions are being disposed of by this common order as the questions that arise for consideration are substantially similar.

2. Briefly stated the facts as pleaded by the petitioners leading to the writ petitions are the following :-

The petitioner in W.P. No.20443/94 is a registered society and the writ petition is filed by the said society represented by its Secretary giving the list of its members numbering 207. W.P. No.21283 of 1994, federation is a registered society represented by its President having a total membership of 553 small scale manufacturers of ordinary common edible salt. Writ Petition No. 21485 of 1994 is filed by P.V. Rajendran, M.L.A., T.V. House, Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam Quaide-e-Milleth District. W.P. Nos.20565 and 20566 of 1994 are filed by registered societies represented by their Secretaries giving the list of their member