R. SIDDHESWARAN Vs. UNIVERSITY GRANTS COMMISSION

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Pachaiyappa's Trust Board was established under a scheme formulated by the Supreme Court in 1909. Arrayed as the 3rd respondent in all the Writ Petitions, the Pachaiyappa's Trust Board (in short 'PTB' or 'Board') runs several colleges that are aided by the Government, being Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai (PCC), C. Kandaswami Naidu College for Men, Chennai (CKNCMC), Chellammal Women's College, Chennai (CWCC), Pachaiyappa's College for Men, Kancheepuram (PCMK), Pachaiyappa's College for Women, Kancheepuram (PCWK) and C. Kandaswami Naidu College for Women, Cuddalore (CKNCW).

(2.) This batch of eight (8) writ petitions have been filed by individuals qualified for the post of Assistant Professor in the subjects of physics (7 petitioners) and botany (1 petitioner). Their qualifications are not in question. Since the contentions advanced are common across subjects, they are set out below without reference to specific subjects and may be taken to be the common submissions of all petitioners.

(3.) Heard Mr. AR.L. Sundaresan, learned senior counsel for Mrs. AL. Gandhimathi for the petitioners in W.P. Nos. 26159, 26160, 26163 to 16166 of 2017 and Mr. P.V.S. Giridhar, learned counsel for Ms. D. Prasanna, learned counsel for the petitioners in W.P. Nos. 26161 and 26162 of 2017. The prayers in Writ Petition are identical and one is extracted below for completion of narration, as follows: