JUDGMENT :

C. PRAVEEN KUMAR, J.

1. Aggrieved by the Order, dated 30.01.2020, passed in W.P. No.1865 of 2020, the State of Andhra Pradesh, represented by its Principal Secretary, Tribal Welfare Department, and the Engineer-in-Chief, Tribal Welfare Office, preferred the present writ appeal.

2. The Respondent/Writ Petitioner filed the above Writ Petition seeking issuance of Writ of Mandamus to declare the action of the Respondents in not concluding the disciplinary proceedings as per the time schedule fixed by the Government, and the inordinate delay in concluding the disciplinary proceedings for the issues relating to 1998–1999 and onwards as discriminatory and violative of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India.

3. The factual matrix of the case is as under:

(i) The Petitioner was appointed as Assistant Executive Engineer in Panchayat Raj Department in the year 1982 and later promoted to the post of Deputy Executive Engineer in the year 1990. He continued as such till 31.10.1995. Subsequently, he was absorbed in Tribal Welfare Engineering Department vide Orders in G.O. Rt.