B.H. MARLAPALLE, J.

1. This group of petitions raises common challenge to the Government Resolution dated 5th March 2011 issued by the State of Maharashtra through the Department of Higher and Technical Education and to the extent of Clauses 11(1), 11(3) and 11(4) of the said G.R. There is no dispute that the impugned GR has replaced the earlier GR dated 25/2/2011 and, therefore, the challenge to the same clauses of the GR dated 25/2/2011 is required to be considered with reference to the GR dated 5/3/2011 as the petitions were filed prior to the GR dated 5/3/2011. Hence these petitions are being decided by this common order.

2. The petitioners are either working as Lecturers / Professors at the graduation or post graduation level in different colleges affiliated to nonagricultural Universities and with the said universities as well as in the Government colleges (Engineering and Nonagricultural) in the State of Maharashtra. On 31/12/2008 the Government of India through the Ministry of Human Resources Development addressed a letter to the Secretary – University Grants Commission (UGC) regarding the scheme of revision pf pay of teachers and equivalent categories in the Univ