This group of matters raise a common issue. They are, therefore, decided by this common judgment. Letters Patent Appeals preferred by the respondent- State Government arise from a common judgment and order dated 6th October 2009 passed by the learned single Judge and the orders made on different dates by the learned single Judges in respective writ petitions. Some of these Appeals, viz. Letters Patent Appeal No. 560 of 2010 and some others were earlier heard by the Bench of this Court. Under respective orders, the Bench had referred the matters to a Committee comprising Justice Uday Sinha (retired) constituted under the orders of the Bench in the matter of Sohan Roy [(2010 (2) PLJR 397]. Feeling aggrieved, the concerned writ petitioners approached the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The Hon’ble Supreme Court has, under its order dated 8th August 2011 made in Petition for Special Leave to Appeal (Civil) No.16798 of 2010 and other petitions, set aside the direction issued by the Bench and has remitted the Appeals for hearing and decision on merits.

2. The matter at issue is simple, very commonly found in the claims made by the employees of the State Government, that is that of reg