[Civil Appeal No.2532 of 2010]. A common question of law is involved in all these appeals and therefore, at the request of the learned counsel appearing in these appeals, all these appeals have been heard and decided together. The issue involved in these appeals is with regard to interpretation of some of the paras of Indian Railway Establishment Manual, 1989 (hereinafter referred to as 'the Manual'). We are mainly concerned with interpretation of paras 180, 189 and 320 of the Manual. For the purpose of deciding these appeals, we have taken facts from Civil Appeal No.2532 of 2010, which is the main matter in this group of matters. Before adverting to the real issue, in our opinion, it would be proper to deal with the subject, which pertains to preparation of seniority lists and promotion of railway employees from one group to another and from one grade to another within the group. Railway services have been mainly classified in four groups. In the instant case, we are concerned with services included in different grades in groups C and D. In each group, there are different grades and the employees working in the lowest grade in one group get promotion to the higher grade within the group.
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