ORDER :

1. The charge impugned against the impugned through the charge memo dated 28.04.2009 is that there was a reprehensible conduct in having illegal intimacy with Thiru P.Shanmuga Sundaram, Sub Inspector of Police and thereby, created a bad name to the Police Department.

2. Based on the levelled charges, an enquiry was conducted in which the charges were held to be proved. Consequently, the third respondent herein, through impugned order dated 18.04.2011, had imposed the punishment of postponement of increment for two years with cumulative effect. The punishment came to be modified by the Appellate Authority/second respondent herein through the impugned order dated 15.07.2011, modifying the punishment to postponement of increment for two years “without cumulative effect”. Further, the Mercy Petition was rejected by the first respondent on 06.02.2017. The original punishment order as well as the order passed by the Appellate Authority are put under challenge in the present writ petition.

3. Mr. S. Sivakumar, learned counsel for the petitioner raised the following grounds attacking the orders impugned in the present writ petition. Firstly, he would submit that Rule 4A of the Tamil