JUDGMENT :

B.R. SARANGI, J.

The State of Odisha and its functionaries have filed both the Writ Petitions seeking to quash the Order dated 24.10.2017 passed by the Odisha Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench, Bhubaneswar, in O.A. No. 2576 of 2016 and batch, as well as the Order dated 09.11.2017 passed in O.A. No. 2499 of 2016 and batch, whereby the Tribunal, by holding that the private Opposite Parties are entitled to the Grade Pay of Rs.4200/-after completion of 20 years in a single Cadre towards 2nd Revised Assured Career Progression Scheme (RACPS) benefit, has quashed the impugned Orders of the Original Applications, by which the Grade Pay of the private Opposite Parties had been reduced to Rs.2800/-and Order of recovery had been passed for excess amount drawn by them and directed the State-Petitioners to allow the private Opposite Parties to continue in the Grade Pay of Rs.4200/-towards 2nd RACPS benefit.

2. The factual matrix, as borne out from both the cases, in a nutshell, is that the private Opposite Parties, who were the Applicants before the Tribunal, were initially appointed as Asst. Teacher in different Schools having their qualification as Matric C.T, I.AC.T and B.A C.