(1.) Since common questions of law and facts are involved in all these Letters Patent Appeals and Civil Writ Petitions, therefore, these are taken up together and being disposed of by a common judgment.
(2.) The facts are being taken from Letters Patent Appeal No. 1988 of 2013, instituted against the judgment dtd. 31/8/2013 rendered by the learned Single Judge, in CWP No. 19915 of 2011 and analogous matters.
(3.) The brief facts necessary for disposal of these appeals and writ petitions are that the private respondents in LPAs and petitioners in CWPs were employees of the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Development Bank Limited, Chandigarh (hereinafter referred to as Rs.the appellant Bank' for brevity sake). The service conditions of all the employees of the appellant Bank are governed by the Punjab State Cooperative Agricultural Land Mortgage Banks Service (Common Cadre) Rules, 1978 (hereinafter referred to as Rs.the Common Cadre Rules' for brevity sake).