(1.) Since, common questions of law and facts arise for consideration in all these petitions, therefore, they were taken up together for hearing and are being disposed of by a common judgment.
(2.) Broadly, the prayers made in all these petitions are:
(3.) The petitioner(s) is/are/were the employees of an institute of the School/Home for speech and hearing impaired children, Dhalli, Shimla, H.P. duly run by the H.P. State Council for Child Welfare and Education ( for short "Council"). Their claim is that even though they were appointed on contractual basis and were thereafter discharging their duties and responsibilities at par with that of their counter-parts employed in the Government schools for the visually and impaired hearing children, yet they were being discriminated against qua their counter-parts at every step, be it grant of pay, regularization and pension etc. etc.