JUDGMENT

1. W.P.No.(C) 861 of 2019 has been filed by the petitioners to quash the impugned order dated 31.8.2016 promoting/absorbing the private respondents 3 to 22 to the post of MCS Grade-II retrospectively with effect from 17.2.2010 and to quash the final seniority list of MCS officers dated 21.9.2016 and 27.11.2017 in respect of the private respondents and to direct the first respondent to re-fix the inter-se seniority of the petitioners and the private respondents strictly in terms of the relevant rules and the guidelines issued by the Government of Manipur in this regard.

2. W.P.(C) No.867 of 2019 has been filed by the petitioners to quash the impugned order dated 23.9.2016, whereby promoting the private respondents 3 to 18 to the post of MCS Grade-I.

3. Since the issue involved in these petitions is one and the same and the petitioners and some of the private respondents are similar, both the writ petitions were heard together and disposed of by this common order.

4. Briefly stated case of the petitioners in W.P.No.861 of 2019 is as follows:

The petitioners were initially appointed as MCS Grade- II on 15.12.2012 and 03.01.2017 respectively and after rendering more than five years