ORDER

1. Heard counsel for the parties. Delay in filing the SLPs is condoned.

2. Leave granted in all the SLPS.

3. Special Leave Petition No. 3919 of 1993 arises from the judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissing the writ petition filed by the Janpad Panchayat & Zila Panchayat Karamchari Sangh and others. The reliefs sought for in the writ petition were :

(1) to declare that the petitioners are government employees just like similar employees in Mahakoshal region of the State of Madhya Pradesh; and

(2) to direct the respondents in the writ petition to pay all benefits admissible to government employees including retrial allowance, bonus, pension, gratuity, family pension, death-cum-gratuity (ex gratia payment to the family).

4. The High Court was of the opinion that the petitioners are not entitled to either declaration and accordingly dismissed the writ petition. When the SLP came up for admission before a Bench of this Court, a notice was issued limited to the question of entitlement of the employees belonging to Madhya Pradesh (other than erstwhile Mahakoshal region) to payment of gratuity and pension. While this SLP was pending, ten other SLPs have been filed by the