(1.) Heard Shri Ashok Khare, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Siddharth Khare, Advocate; Shri H.N. Singh, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Seemant Singh, Advocate; Shri Vijay Gautam, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Pradeep Kesharwani, Advocate, Ms. Atipriya Gautam, Advocate, Shri Anoop Trivedi, learned Senior Advocate assisted by Shri Vibhu Rai, Advocate, Shri Vinod Kumar Mishra, Advocate and Shri Devesh Mishra, Advocate; Shri Tarun Agrawal, Advocate and Shri Mujeeb Ahmad Siddiqui, Advocate for the petitioners and Shri Manish Goyal, learned Additional Advocate General assisted by Shri Bipin Bihari Pandey, learned Chief Standing Counsel, Shri A.K. Goyal, learned Additional Chief Standing Counsel, Shri Sanjay Kumar Singh, learned Additional Chief Standing Counsel, Shri Apurva Hajela, learned Standing Counsel, Shri Devesh Vikram, learned Standing Counsel, Shri Sheetala Prasad, learned Standing Counsel and Shri Vikram Bahadur Yadav, learned Standing Counsel for the State respondents.
(2.) All the writ petitions relate to similar facts and raise common questions of law, therefore, with the consent of the counsel for the parties, all the petitions have been heard together and are being decided by means of a common judgment.
(3.) In this group of cases the petitioners are seeking suitable direction upon the respondents to consider their claim for selection and appointment on the vacant posts of Constables (Civil Police) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) Direct Recruitment-2015 initiated in pursuance of the advertisement dated 29.12.2015 published by the Additional Secretary (Recruitment), U.P. Police Recruitment and Promotion Board, Lucknow.