By the Court.—Whether Lab Assistant is eligible to be considered for promotion to the post of Junior Engineer under U.P. State Electricity Board (Subordinate Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Service) Regulation 1972 (hereinafter referred to as Regulation of 1972) is the short question raised in these special appeals.

2. Arun Kumar Dubey, petitioner respondent No. 1 was appointed as Lab Assistant in the pay scale of Rs. 1100-1575 vide order dated 6.4.1988 and was posted at Anpara Thermal Project where joined on 8.4.1988. Sri Satya Narain Vishwakarma, petitioner respondent No. 2 was appointed as Lab Assistant vide order dated 15.12.1995 in the Pay Scale of Rs. 1100-1575 and was posted at Anpara Tharmal Project where he joined on 18.12.1995. Sri Amresh Das petitioner Respondent No. 3 was appointed as Lab Assistant vide order dated 16.12.1995 in the Pay Scale of Rs. 1100-1575 and he was also posted at Anpara Thermal Project on 27.1.1996.

3. The petitioners-respondents, after division of the U.P. State Electricity Board (in short ‘’Board’) in three independent bodies namely, U.P. Power Corporation Limited, U.P. Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and U.P. Jal Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited, are working under the U.P. Rajya Utpadan Nigam Limited appellant No. 1. It appears that on 14.11.2003 a requisition was published by the Electricity Service Commission, a centralized body, for recruitments in all the aforesaid three bodies, inviting applications from the employees belonging to operating cadre for consideration for promotion to the post of Junior Engineer (ordinary cadre). The qualifications required to be possessed by such employees, as published in the aforesaid advertisement may be reproduced as under :

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4. The Electricity Service Commission in the aforesaid requisition, notified 504 vacancies of junior engineer in U.P. Power Corporation Limited (ordinary cadre), which included 349 vacancies in U.P. Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited. All the petitioners respondents applied claiming to possess the requisite qualification under clause A(1) of the advertisement i.e. operating cadre employees. However, the Electricity Service Commission vide its letter dated 23.6.2004 rejected the application of the petitioner respondents on the following ground :

"PARICHALIKIYA VARG KE KARAMCHARI NA HONE PAR ATHVA KUSHAL NA HONE PAR NIRAST.”

5. The petitioners-respondents sent representations to the Electricity Service Commission stating that they fulfilled the qualification prescribed under clause A(1) of the advertisement and belonged to operating cadre employees, hence rejection of their candidature is contrary to the rules. However, when the appellant No. 2 did not communicate any decision, the petitioners-respondents approached this Court in writ petition No. 27561 of 2004 wherein the following interim order was passed on 23.7.2004 :

"Sri A.K. Mehrotra has accepted notice on behalf of respondent Nos. 1 and 3 whereas Shri R.D. (??) has accepted notice on behalf of respondent No. 3. They pray for and are granted 3 wee