JUDGMENT :

VIVEK CHAUDHARY, J.

1. Present writ petition is filed by the petitioner challenging his punishment order dated 11.04.2022 passed by Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary, Secretariat Administration Department, Lucknow (respondent no. 2).

2. By the impugned order, petitioner is given a punishment of censure entry and reversion to the post of Section Officer from the post of Under-Secretary.

3. At the very outset, learned counsel for petitioner submits that the inquiry was conducted by the Special Secretary, Medical Education Services, U.P. who submitted her report on 25.08.2021. He submits that in the present case, the inquiry officer was never provided the documents to which she had relied upon in the inquiry. The said documents were summoned by the inquiry officer during the conduct of the inquiry and were also perused by her. However, neither copy of the said documents were provided to the petitioner nor the same were permitted to be perused by the petitioner. Learned counsel for petitioner further submits that a bare perusal of the report shows that the inquiry was conducted in violation of Rule 7 of the U.P. Government Servants (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 199