JUDGMENT :

P.B.Suresh Kumar, J.

This appeal is directed against the judgment dated 22.12.2020 in W.P.(C) No.28642 of 2019. The appellant was the fifth respondent in the writ petition. Parties and documents are referred to in this judgment, as they appear in the writ petition.

2. The petitioner is the Manager of an aided Higher Secondary School. The Higher Secondary section of the school was sanctioned from the year 2014-2015. Since there were no qualified hands then in the school for appointment by transfer as Higher Secondary School Teacher [HSST] or Higher Secondary School Teacher (Junior), the petitioner took steps to appoint the required number of teachers from the open market. It is stated that there were three posts of HSST and four posts of HSST (Junior) in the school. A selection was conducted and appointments were made by the petitioner to the said posts from the ranked lists prepared by the Selection Committee. The fourth respondent secured first rank in the selection for appointment to the post of HSST and respondents 5 and 6 secured ranks 3 and 2 respectively in the said selection. The petitioner appointed the fourth respondent on 05.01.2018 and respondents 5 and 6 on 06.0