JUDGMENT :

NIKHIL S. KARIEL, J.

1. Heard learned Advocates for the petitioners in respective petitions and learned AGP for the respondent State in all the matters.

2. Issue Rule. Learned AGP / learned advocates for the respective respondents waive service of Rule.

3. Since a common issue has been raised in all these writ petitions, with the consent of the parties, the present petitions are taken up for final hearing together.

4. At the outset, learned advocates for the respective petitioners would submit that the issue raised in these petitions is covered by a decision of this Court in Special Civil Application No.10738 of 2020 and allied matters dated 14.03.2024 and whereas it is submitted that the said decision with a modification had been confirmed by the Division Bench. It is submitted by the learned advocates for the petitioners that since the petitioners are similarly situated to the petitioners of the above writ petitions, the same benefit as modified by the Division Bench, may be accorded to the present petitioners.

5. Learned AGP and learned advocates for the District Panchayats would not dispute the proposition as having been submitted by learned advocates for the petitioners.

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