1. A few Secondary Grade Teachers have come up with the above writ petitions, primarily seeking a Mandamus, to direct the respondents to prepare a panel of Secondary Grade Teachers eligible for promotion as B.T. Assistants in Middle Schools, including only the names of those Secondary Grade Teachers who have completed a 3 year Degree Course in the concerned discipline, after completing 10 years of High Schooling and 2 years of Higher Secondary Course. Some of the writ petitions also challenge, in addition to the above prayer, Clause 6 of an instruction issued by the Director of School Education dated 18.12.2008 by which the Panel Drawing Authorities were directed to include even those Secondary Grade Teachers who have completed a Degree of one year duration in the concerned subject. A few petitioners have challenged the panels drawn in a couple of Districts such as Thiruvallur and Salem Districts, in so far as those panels include the names of persons who have a degree of a duration of one year in the concerned subject.

2. I have heard Mr.N.G.R.Prasad, Mr.C.Selvaraju, learned Senior Counsel and Mr.M.Ravi, learned counsel appearing for the petitioners in the writ petitio