As per case facts, Petitioners were initially engaged as Shikshakarmis under Panchayat rules against sanctioned posts, later regularised and absorbed into the School Education Department. They continued in pensionable establishments, ... but their past service was not recognised for pension benefits, leading to an administrative order rejecting their representations. Despite the State restoring the Old Pension Scheme, ambiguity persists regarding the determinative 'date of appointment' for pensionary purposes, causing unequal treatment and inconsistent decisions. The question arose whether service rendered as Shikshakarmis prior to absorption should count for pension benefits, given the restored Old Pension Scheme. Finally, the High Court, noting a policy vacuum, directed the Respondent-State to make a comprehensive, reasoned, and categorical policy decision on reckoning prior service for pension, ensuring fairness and constitutional compliance, without dictating a specific benefit or altering the existing policy.