JUDGMENT :

A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar, J.

The State of Kerala is the appellant in all these appeals, aggrieved by the common judgment dated 18.03.2021 of the learned single judge in W.P(C) No.1033/2020 and connected cases and the subsequent judgments of the learned single judge following the former judgment. The short issue that was adjudicated by the learned single judge was the validity of an amendment effected to Rule 14E (b) of Part III Kerala Service Rules [KSR], to the extent it stipulated that only regular service rendered by teachers in private aided colleges in the State, prior to the regular service rendered by them in the aided/government colleges from where they superannuated, would be reckoned for the purposes of computation of their pensionary benefits. The brief facts necessary for disposal of these writ appeals are as follows:

The writ petitioners were all persons who had rendered service in leave vacancies in various private aided colleges in the State, prior to commencing regular service in the establishment from which they subsequently retired on superannuation. In their writ petitions, they were aggrieved by the stand of the respective authorities of the State gover