By Court—The petitioner has challenged the penalty order dated 03.01.2002 reducing him to the post of Executive (E-1) in the scale of Rs 10,705-300-16,750 with immediate effect and his basic pay has been fixed at lowest stage, i.e. on 10,750/-and it has further been ordered that for the purpose of promotion his seniority would be counted in E-1 grade w.e.f. 03.01.2002. He has also challenged the appellate order dated 25.02.2002 whereby his appeal has been dismissed.

2. The brief facts of the case are that the petitioner was appointed on 12.07.1972 in Bokaro Steel Limited on the post of Stores-man. He got regular promotions and in the year 1997 he was promoted to the post of Senior Executive (Stores). On 09.02.2001 a charge-memo was issued to the petitioner in which it was alleged that the petitioner did not check that the final notices were sent to the party immediately and after the final notices were issued to the party and the party did not lift or replace the rejected materials, the petitioner did not ask the Inspection Department to reject the whole quantity of the material. The petitioner submitted his reply on 15.02.2001.

3. It is the case of the petitioner that the pet