RAJU, J.

Since common and similar as well as overlapping questions of law and facts arise for consideration and submissions have been made by counsel appearing on either side, these writ petitions are considered and dealt with in common. The above writ petitions involve challenge to the constitutional validity of the Chit Funds Act, 1982 (Central Act 40 of 1982) (hereinafter referred to as "the Act"), and the Tamil Nadu Chit Funds Rules, 1984, (hereinafter referred to as "the Rules"), on various grounds. As a matter of fact in some of the writ petitions the challenge is confined only to some specific provisions in the Act and the Rules alone. Of the various petitioners, some are either public or private limited companies incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956, or proprietory or partnership concerns or individual organisers themselves. Since different writ petitions have been filed seeking different reliefs in relation to different provisions, I consider it enough, instead of referring to them all in the course of the judgment itself, to classify them under different groups with reference to the prayers in the writ petitions and make it as annexure to this judgment.

Th