M.M. Sundresh, J.

1. The unsuccessful writ petitioners, who failed before the learned single Judge in their challenge made to the impugned amendment to the Tamil Nadu Municipal Engineering Service Rules 1997, pertaining to Rule 3, which fixes the ratio of 3:1 between the Assistant Engineers and Junior Engineers to the post of Assistant Executive Engineer, are the appellants before us.

2. The facts in brief:

2.1. The appellants are Diploma-holders. They are working as Junior Engineers with respondents 1 and 2. For the post of Junior Engineer, the feeder category is the post of Draughtsman. Accordingly, the appellants have been promoted from the feeder category of Draughtsman to the category of Junior Engineers. The private respondents before us are direct recruits appointed as Assistant Engineers. They hold Engineering Degrees being the pre-requisite for the said post. A Junior Engineer can become an Assistant Engineer on acquiring an Engineering Degree. The post of Junior Engineer comes under the category-I of Clause-I of the Tamil Municipal Engineering Subordinate Service Rules 1970. The post of Assistant Engineer comes under category-IV of the Tamil Nadu Municipal Enginee