JUDGMENT/ORDER

G.S.PATEL J. - Rule. There are Affidavits in Reply. Respondents waive service. Rule is made returnable forthwith and the Petitions are taken up for hearing and final disposal.

2. The two Writ Petitions are identical in all material respects. The only reason a second Writ Petition had to be filed was because those Petitioners came to Court later than the Petitioners in the first matter. We will, therefore, take the facts as we find them in Writ Petition No. 11703 of 2019, Prakash Bhagwat Shinde & Anr vs. The State of Maharashtra & Ors.

3. It is perhaps unfortunate that these Petitions have been pending admission in this Court for such a long time. While that might be a factor of the pressures on this Court and the mounting numbers of filings and arrears, the human story behind these Petitions discloses an ongoing and unfolding tragedy. It concerns teachers. What is particularly disturbing is that while the Petitioners have been awaiting a disposal of their Petitions, time has marched on: all of them are now over-age although they are still in service.

4. The sole prayer in the Petitions as originally filed reads thus:

<WXY>"(b) By a suitable writ, order or direction, this