1. The petitioners, who were two in number, have knocked the doors of this Court seeking a direction to the respondents to consider and promote them as Shift Chemists with effect from the dates their juniors have been promoted, with all consequential benefits.

2. The petitioners, who belong to the Scheduled Caste category, have passed Matric, as also a three years' diploma in Chemical Engineering. Through advertisement No. Annexure P-8, the respondent Punjab State Electricity Board (now - Punjab State Power Corporation Limited) (hereinafter referred to as - the respondent Corporation), invited applications for filling up posts of Junior Plant Attendants/Chemical (Training) (hereinafter referred to as - JPA). As per the Punjab State Electricity Board Technical Services Class-I(Regulations, 1996 (hereinafter referred to as - the Regulations), the prescribed academic qualifications for the post of JPAis B.Sc. (of which Chemistry should be the main subject). However, the respondent Corporation was facing a huge shortage of JPAs as eligible candidates possessing a degree in B.Sc. were becoming hard to find. This was adversely hampering the smooth functioning of the Wate