K. N. Singh. J.

1. THIS is a petition by Awadesh Narain Pandey who was selected and placed on the panel prepared for appointment to the post of Peon cum Farrash/Armed Guard in the service of Central Bank of India, Kanpur Region. The panel was revised in 1972 as a result of which a number of sons and daughters of the employees of the Bank were brought on the panel with the result the petitioners' chances of employment were receded. Aggrieved, the petitioner filed this petition challenging the validity of the action of the authorities of the Central Bank in giving preference to the sons and daughters of the Bank employees. The petitioner has claimed relief for the issue of a writ of mandamus directing the authorities of the Central Bank not to fill vacancies from the sons and daughters who were empaneled in 1972, unless the original panel prepared in 1971 is exhausted.

2. LEARNED counsel for the petitioner urged that the respondents have acted in violation of Article 16 of the Constitution in bringing the names of sons and daughters of the employees of the Bank on the panel prepared for employment in the Bank. On behalf of the respondent Bank it is urged that the Central Bank