JUDGMENT :

The writ petitioner seeking to invoke the extra-ordinary and discretionary jurisdiction of this Court under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, has preferred the instant writ petition assailing an Order under Memo no. CJM/BAR/2017/598[A] dated 16.03.2017 passed by the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barpeta as the Appointing Authority-cum-Disciplinary Authority in a discipline proceeding, D.P. no. 1/2013. By the impugned Order dated 16.03.2017, the Appointing Authority-cum-Disciplinary Authority had imposed a penalty of stoppage of three increments without cumulative effect under Rule 7[ii] of the Assam Services [Discipline and Appeal] Rules, 1964 upon the petitioner as the delinquent.

2. The sequence of events which have led the petitioner to prefer the present writ petition can be exposited, in brief, as follows :-

2.1. The petitioner was initially appointed as a Lower Division Assistant [LDA] in the establishment of the learned Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barpeta [the respondent no. 3] on 01.02.1982. Thereafter, the petitioner was transferred to the establishment of the learned Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate, Bajali, Pathsala on 01.03.1996 and at the time of