JUDGMENT

A.K.Jayasankaran Nambiar, J.

All these appeals impugn a common judgment dated 13-5-2022 of the learned Single Judge in Writ Petition Nos. 30688 of 2019 and connected cases. The appeals have been preferred by both, the writ petitioners and the respondents -Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment ( for short “KSCSTE” ), on different aspects of the common judgment. 2. The brief facts necessary for the disposal of these writ appeals are as follows:

The Writ Petitioners were Scientists working in the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment , which is an autonomous body under the Department of Science and Technology, governed by the KSCSTE Service Rules and Regulations. In the Writ Petitions, their challenge was against the amendment brought about to the service Rules vide an order dated, 16-08-2019 that had the effect of imposing a ceiling limit on the amount of gratuity payable to the employees on their retirement. It was the contention of the writ petitioners that at the time of joining the establishment, the Rules in force contemplated the payment of gratuity at the rate of half month emolument for the number of years of service put in