Hon’ble Ashok Pal Singh, J.—Heard Sri Hemendra Pratap, learned counsel for the petitioner, Smt. Sangeeta Chandra, learned Additional Chief Standing Counsel and perused the record.

2. The petitioner has preferred the instant writ petition challenging the order dated 4.1.2006 passed by the State Government imposing punishment of reduction of his 25% pension permanently during the departmental proceedings taken up against him.

3. The petitioner was posted as an Assistant Engineer (Mechanical) Tubewell Division, Meerut (West) having under his command area as many as 217 tubewells of district-Baghpat. The maintenance and running of the said tubewells was being done under his administrative authority. The Chief Engineer, Tubewell (West), Meerut vide his order dated 17.9.2001 directed the areawise task of 100% verification of the aforesaid 217 tubewells to four of his Executive Engineers and called upon them to report as to whether the tubewells so verified by them were found in running state or not and in case, they were not found in running state, the reasons therefor.

4. Subsequently, on the basis of the verification report received from the aforesaid Executive Engineers, a dis